A Navi Named Lightman
by Serenade of Light
Summary: The chase is on to find a cure when Netto falls ill to HBD. When one in not found, Yuuichiro turns to the solution that saved Saito by turning Netto into a navi. But life as Lightman isn't easy, especially with the rise of a new threat
1. The New Navi

**A Navi Named Lightman**

By Serenade of Light

_Something is terribly wrong—and it could cost Netto his life! Can anyone find a way to save him!? And can Netto and Rockman deal with the consequences?_

Hey everyone! Serenade of Light here! I've decided to try and move on from the short stories so here's my first, full-length story! I know the summary's a little vague, but I don't want to give away certain details yet. I may change it when the story gets going.

Anyway, as always, reviews (good or bad) are wanted. They'll certainly be the key to motivating me to updating.

And with that said, I have a disclaimer to make: I don't own Rockman!

Enjoy!

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_Chapter One: The New Navi_

"Good-bye, Ijuin Enzan!" The black cat-like navi sneered as he raised his extended claws above his head. "It's such a shame it has to end this way," the navi said sarcastically, his red eyes flashing with pleasure. CF Blues grimaced. He did not see a way out of this one and it shamed him that he'd fall to _this_ pathetic navi. The claws began their downward motion and CF Blues closed his eyes. But the imminent slash never came; instead, Luckman angrily cried out, "Who did that?"

CF Blues opened his eyes and saw the blues fragments characteristic of broken data in place of the evil navi's claws. CF Blues followed Luckman's blaring glaze to his rescuer.

"Rockman?!" CF Blues called out in surprise.

The navi shook his head. "Rockman's over there," the Rockman look-alike said as he pointed across the room. Both Luckman and CF Blues looked in the direction that the new navi had pointed and sure enough the familiar blue navi stood ready to battle.

"Then who are you?" CF Blues asked, redirecting his attention to the other navi.

"Later, Enzan," the new navi said smiling, "Right now we've got work to do. Right, Rockman?"

The other nodded. "_Un_."

Luckman smiled evilly. "Looks like you were saved, Mr. Ijuin, but who cares? In the end, you'll all die and I'll have more fun in the mean time!"

"We'll see who defeats who," Rockman said confidently.

"Darn right," the second said cheerfully.

"Hmm. Confident," the black navi said, smiling, his red eyes flashing. "It's too bad that that confidence will not help you!"

"Yeah right," the Rockman-look-alike called out and both he and Rockman leapt to attack Luckman. The evil navi braced for the double attack.

CF Blues just looked on, for once too shocked to move. Who was that navi? Why did he look like Rockman? And why, after a several long months, was Rockman finally back to being a Net Saver? CF Blues could only watch as Rockman and the new navi battle the evil Luckman. CF Blues, in his half-aware state, decided that the new navi was not as skilled as Rockman, but he was really good nonetheless. The twin navis kept Luckman preoccupied but they were unable to obtain the upper hand because, one, Luckman, despite being a short, smart-mouth, and all around plain annoying navi, was very strong. Two: all Rockman and his clone had were Rockman's Rockbuster and the second's similar Lightbuster.

The "clone" cried out as he was finally hit by Luckman's "Shards of Mirror", causing CF Blues to snap out of the trance he had been in. He finally moved to attack, but Rockman reached his fallen companion first and warded of Luckman with several blasts of the Rockbuster.

The Rockman copy slowly stood and smiled. "Is that all you got?" he taunted to his opponent. Rockman shook his head at his companions boldness (or stupidity), but he was smiling—something he hadn't done in the last couple of months.

Luckman, however, boiled with anger at the navi's taunting. "You're a major pain in the butt," he called as he extended his claws.

"Look whose talking!" the double navi joked, still smiling that confident smile that struck Enzan as subtlety familiar.

The black navi shook with anger. Finally, he leapt at the clone. "Enough talk!" he snarled.

"I agree," Rockman said as he fired a charge shot at the assaulting navi.

"Dang it," Luckman cursed as he realized that the annoying one had diverted his attention so the other half could attack. He landed hard at CF Blues feet.

"I third that notion," CF Blues said as he brought his sword down on the evil navi, causing Luckman to plug out.

CF Blues turned to the grinning look-alike navi.

"So who are you?" he demanded.

"Lightman," Lightman said cheerfully.

"Okay. So why so you look like Rockman?" CF Blues continued, but before Lightman or Rockman could answer the Dimensional Area collapsed.

Before the navis disappeared, Lightman quickly said, "Sci-Lab, Enzan. See ya later!"

Enzan watched the twin navis disappear. Sci-Lab—that's where everything would be answered.

"Let's go, Blues," Enzan said. "We need to find some answers."

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This story seems to be all about the vagueness, ne? I promise that the story will make sense! Hopefully I haven't chased you all away… sweatdrops

Anyway, see you next chapter: "Something Seriously Wrong"!


	2. The Race

Here's Chapter 2! Hopefully things will start to make sense. It's longer anyway. (I really can't believe chapter one was so short). Also note I changed the title.

And to avoid confusing you all to heck (if I haven't already), two time plots are occurring in this story and will switch approximately every other chapter. Chapter One occurs almost two years after Beast Plus while Chapter Two occurs _before_ the first chapter and begins about a month or so after the defeat of Cache. I'll tell which time frame each chapter is beforehand. The two plots will eventually converge and make sense. I promise. Until then, speculate away!

One more thing—wait—actually two: While I am following the Anime timeline, I am using the idea from the game that Netto and Rockman are brothers. The second thing—I don't own Rockman!

Okay, with that said, let's get the show on the road!

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_Chapter 2: The Race_

"Ahh!" I'm so late!" Netto cried as he stuffed his homework into his backpack and raced out the door.

"I tried to wake you," Rockman informed his frantic friend, "but you sleep hard."

"Meijin-san should have known better than to give me a mission at midnight!" Netto complained. Rockman laughed lightly and shook his head. At least this time staying up late wasn't Netto's fault.

Netto skated as fast as he could, desperate not to be late, but, Rockman noticed, that as they got closer to the school, Netto was slowing down. It was odd: normally Netto got faster as he approached the school. But by the time Netto reached the gate, Netto was going at a rather slow pace and his breathing pretty hard. The blue navi became even more alarmed when his Net Op had to stop and lean on the gate for support as he caught his breathe.

"Netto-kun! Are you okay?" Rockman asked, his voice full of scared concern.

"Yeah," Netto answered as he shook his head and continued into the school yard. "I…just got a little dizzy for a sec."

"You've been getting dizzy a lot lately," Rockman noted. "And last night, you nearly fainted."

"It's nothing, Rockman," Netto said quickly. "It's just a little dizziness. Probably not drinking enough water."

"Yeah, but…" Rockman said, unable to chase his fear and concern away.

Netto smiled. "You worry too much, Rockman!" Rockman had to smile. Netto _always_ said that. But still…

"Hikari Netto!" Mariko-sensei was not pleased with her late arrival, and she was going to try and make her point bright and clear—again. "Is it really that hard to be on time?!" she demanded.

"_Gomenasai," _Netto answered sheepishly. "I had to do something late last night that couldn't wait and I had trouble getting up this morning. I really tried not to be late!"

"Netto-kun," Mariko-sensei said, exasperated, "because it has been a long while since you've been late, I'll let it slide, but don't make it a habit again."

"_Hai, _Mariko-sensei," Netto said and turned to his seat.

"What were you doing last night?" Meiru asked him as soon as he sat down.

"A mission," Netto answered wearily. "Meijin-san had the nerve to call me at midnight last night!" While he spoke, Rockman noticed that Netto was rubbing his chest and was about to inquire, but decided against it—if something was wrong, he didn't want to worry Meiru about it.

The two's conversation was interrupted by Mariko-sensei trying to get the class's attention.

"Class, as you all know," she began, "Sports Day is coming up, so we're going outside to practice our relays. Does everyone remember their teams?"

Mariko-sensei received an energetic "_Hai!_"

"_Sugoi!_ I love Sports Day!" Netto jabbered excitedly to Meiru.

"I know, Netto! It's all you talk about the whole week before every year," Meiru said. Netto smiled.

"Well, let's go, class, and change into our uniforms," Mariko-sensei said, clapping her hands to try to settle the excited class down.

_----------------------------_

On the way down to the locker room, Rockman confronted his brother quietly about why he had been rubbing his chest.

"Huh?" Netto asked.

"This morning. When you sat down, you were rubbing your chest like it hurt," Rockman said.

"Oh. I didn't realize I was rubbing it," Netto responded.

"Did it hurt?" Rockman pushed.

"Uh, yeah. Sorta," Netto answered as he opened her locker. Rockman could tell Netto was not being completely honest.

"Netto-kun," Rockman said, his voice again full of that scared concern, "Don't push yourself today. Something's wrong and I don't want you…"

Netto cut in: "Rockman, again, you worry too much!"

"I have reason to, especially after last night and this morning. Please, Netto-kun! Just don't overdue it. I don't want to see you in pain," Rockman pleaded.

Netto looked at Rockman silently for a moment. Netto could feel the Rockman's intense worry and decided he couldn't hide his pain from his brother and best friend any longer. Netto sighed.

"Okay," Netto said as he closed the locker. "I promise I'll take it easy."

_----------------------------_

"_Oi_! Meiru-chan! Ready?" Netto waved his arm at Meiru as he walked onto the track.

"Yep! Are you?" Meiru answered happily.

"Yeop! Always am!" Netto said cheerfully.

"Okay then. The first race is the baton race. You have the baton, right?" Meiru asked.

"Me?" Netto asked surprised. "I never had it. You guys said I'd loose it."

"But you took it anyway! And now it's lost," Meiru said, starting to become upset with the brunette.

"I tell you, I never had it," Netto maintained.

"For once, I have to side with Netto-kun," Rockman put in. "I think Dekao took it."

"What do you mean 'for once'?" Netto pouted.

Meiru thought. "Yeah, I think you're right, Rockman," Meiru finally said. "_Gomen_, Netto-kun."

Netto shrugged. "It's okay." He turned to Dekao. "_Oi_! Dekao! You have the baton, right?" he yelled.

"Right!" Dekao yelled back. "Now get your butts over here." Meiru and Netto smiled at each other before walking over to the rest of their team at the starting line.

"'Bout time ya got here, Netto," Dekao teased when Meiru and Netto joined the group. Netto just shrugged and smiled.

"Whatever," Yaito said, "Let's just get our line-up ready!"

"_Hai_," the group answered energetically as they got into their line up: Yaito, Tohru, and Netto on one side and Dekao and Meiru on the other.

"Okay, class," Mariko-sensei called once all the teams had lined up. "Are you ready?!" She received a lot of cheers in response. Mariko-sensei smiled and drew the whistle near her lips. "Okay! On your marks! Get set! Go!" Mariko-sensei blew the whistle and the race began.

Yaito took off in a mad dance. Running wasn't her forte, but she was able to at least keep up. Meiru, Dekao, Tohru, and Netto all cheered her on as did their navis watching in the cyber world. They cheered even louder as she passed the baton off to Dekao, who took off as soon as his hands clasped onto the rod. He raced down the track, passing a couple of people until he was third. "Don't mess us up," he commanded breathlessly as he handed Tohru the baton. Tohru ran down the track, maintaining third position and finally handed Meiru the baton.

Netto cheered excitedly as Meiru raced down the track toward him, passing a classmate on the way, putting them in second. He became anxious as she neared, his heart starting to skip beats. He prepared to receive the baton…

"Netto!" Meiru called as she passed on the baton. Netto took the baton and dashed off at top speed, causing his teammates to cheer wildly. Rockman, however, held his breathe.

"What's wrong?" Roll asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing," Rockman answered with a smile. Roll could tell he was still nervous about something, but did not inquire further.

Netto was now in first, but found that despite his efforts, he was slowing down. His heart was beating wildly but more than that it was hurting like crazy. "It's just a practice race," Netto kept saying to himself. "Why am I this excited?" He couldn't find an answer no matter how he fought for one—his body, his heart, refused to settle down. Then, as he neared the finish line, everything began to swirl, his head screaming as everything went black. The last thing he remembered were the frantic screams of his classmates and friends—and above them all, Rockman's.


	3. Something Seriously Wrong

Here's chapter 3! This is a continuation from Chapter 2, so there's no time jump. That's all I got to say for now. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Rockman.

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_Chapter 3: Something Seriously Wrong_

Netto slowly opened his eyes. He was back in his room, everything calm again. He groaned as he rolled over. "Nnn…Rockman?"

"Netto-kun! You're awake," Rockman responded startled, apparently having been disturbed from his thoughts. His voice was excited that Netto was awake but scared all at the same time.

"What happened?" the brunette asked wearily.

"You collapsed during the race. I thought I told you to take it easy!" the blue navi scolded.

The memories of the race flooded back. What had happened? Netto wondered. He had just been running, and not as fast as he normally did at that because, well, he had promised Rockman. He turned over to face his upset friend. "I did take it easy," he said slowly. "At least I tried."

Rockman studied his operator with his intense green eyes, looking for any clues of lying. Netto was being completely honest. Rockman sighed.

"The doctor said it was because you were dehydrated," Rockman informed Netto.

"You don't believe him, do you?" Netto said more as a statement than a question. Rockman didn't answer.

Netto rolled back onto his back and studied the ceiling. He noticed his heart was beating steadily again and the pain in his chest had reduced to an almost unnoticeable throb. "How did the others react?" he asked.

"They were scared to death," Rockman said, recalling Meiru's desperate pleas to Netto to wake up. "They said they'll be by after school."

Netto looked at the clock: 12:56. He stretched casually though somewhat gingerly. "How long have I've been out?" Netto asked.

Rockman gave a nervous smile. "About 3 and a half hours."

"What?! You let me sleep that long!?" Netto asked in disbelief, turning to look at his navi.

Rockman put his hands on his hips. "Well, duh. Or did you already forget the fact that you became unconscious at school?" Rockman answered. Netto rolled back onto his back and didn't answer.

Seeing that Netto was not going to say anything, Rockman asked, "Do you want me to go get Mama?"

Netto shrugged. "Sure." Rockman disappeared from the computer screen and reappeared a few moments later.

"Prepare yourself," Rockman joked, just as the door flew open and Netto suddenly found himself enveloped in his mother's arms.

She finally released him from her embrace and looked into his face. "Are you okay, Netto?" she asked tenderly.

"Yeah, I am now," Netto answered.

Haruka gave a small smile. "The doctor said it was dehydration."

"Yeah, Rockman told me," Netto informed his mother.

She got up, saying, "I better go call him again and tell him you're awake." She turned to leave then turned back. "Netto, what kind of juice do you want?"

"Juice?" Netto responded confused.

"Yes. The doctor said you need to drink lots of water and juice," Haruka explained. "So what kind?"

"Um, I like apple juice," Netto answered.

"Okay, I'll be right back," Haruka said and then left.

Netto turned to his Rockman. "I'm kind of afraid how much she'll bring."

Rockman nodded in agreement. "Me too."

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Several hours had passen and Netto found himself rubbing his eyes. He was greeted by the sight of the countless juice and water bottles on his desk. As his vision cleared, he became pretty sure there were more bottles and pitchers there then when he had dozed off.

"_Ohaiyo_, sleepy head," Rockman greeted, forcing himself to be cheerful. "Enjoy your nap?"

Netto stretched. "Yeah, but I can't believe I dozed off after sleeping in _and _being unconscious for three and a half hours," the teen responded. "What time is it?"

"Almost 4:00," the blue navi promptly answered. "You should probably drink some more water."

He got a groan in response. "I've drunken like 5 bottles already," Netto complained. "I'm gonna drown myself."

Rockman crossed his arms. "Not likely. Not if you're not going to sleep to death. You've what, slept 5 hours all before four and that's not even considering you woke up at 7:45 this morning?"

Netto sluggishly got out of bed and reached for another bottle of water. "Yeah, but three and a half hours of that was being unconscious and the 7:45 thing was because Meijin-san had the nerve to call me at 12 last night. If you recall, I didn't get home 'til past 2."

"Maybe, but you still just slept away another hour and a half," Rockman pointed out.

Netto shrugged as he opened the bottle. "So the book was boring."

Rockman shook his head, knowing full well that Netto had not fallen asleep just because he was bored. He had been reading his favorite manga, for crying out loud.

Just then the doorbell rang. Netto and Rockman listened as Haruka answered the door.

"How's Netto?" they heard Meiru ask.

"Asleep, I think" came the reply.

"Still?" Meiru's worried voice asked.

"No," Haruka responded quickly. "He woke up several hours ago, but I think he fell back asleep."

Netto looked at Rockman. "Maybe you should tell them I'm awake," he suggested.

"_Hai, _Netto-kun." Netto watched as his navi disappeared from the screen. It wasn't much later until he heard a mob of footsteps coming up the stairs.

Rockman reappeared on the screen. "They're coming," the navi stated.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Netto said sarcastically just at the door flew open.

"Netto, how are you feeling?" Tohru asked.

"Fine," Netto smiled.

"You really scared us," Dekao said.

"The doctor just said it was dehydration, right?" Yaito asked.

Netto nodded his head. "Yeah," he said cheerfully.

"Well, it's good it's nothing too serious," Tohru noted.

"Yeah," Netto said slowly. He then noticed that Meiru hadn't said anything. She looked like she was about to cry. "What's wrong Meiru-chan?" Netto asked.

He suddenly found himself the subject of an intense hug as tears started to pour out Meiru's eyes. "You're such an idiot, Netto! You really scared me!"

Netto didn't quite know how to react. "I'm okay, Meiru-chan. Really."

"I know," she wailed. "But when you fainted and the ambulance came…"

"Wait. The ambulance?" Netto asked confused.

"They took you to the hospital when you fainted," Rockman informed his netop. "Didn't I tell you that part?"

Netto shook his head.

"It's kind of strange they released him before he woke up though," Roll said as she turned to Rockman.

"Yeah, but the doctors said they were pretty sure there was no point in keeping him since they were almost positive Netto-kun had fainted just because of dehydration. They said it happens quite a bit around Sports' Day," Rockman explained.

"Will you have to see a doctor again?" Tohru asked.

Netto nodded. "Yeah, tomorrow."

"So what's with all the juice?" Dekao asked.

Netto and Rockman both sweatdropped. "Mama can go a little overboard sometimes," Netto answered.

"That's a lot of juice…" Dekao said stunned. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Meiru asked again.

"Of course! I'll be at school tomorrow," Netto answered.

"You will?" Rockman asked.

"That's something you don't hear everyday," Yaito laughed. "Netto suggesting school and Rockman not!" Everybody joined in the laughter.

Roll turned to Rockman. "Are _you _okay?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah! Of course!" Rockman forced a smile. "It's been a rough day, but it's okay now."

Netto indirectly looked at his navi, having overheard the conversation. Rockman was such a bad liar, but luckily Roll didn't push. Netto doubted she believed him though.

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Netto sipped from yet another bottle of juice, even though he was sick of it. Netto's friends had stayed for awhile, but eventually had needed to leave, saying Netto should rest some more. Netto, however, did not feel the need. After all, he had pretty much just slept the entire day away. so now he had decided to dedicate his time to focusing on his manga and drinking the gobs of beverages his mom had left for him.

"Ne, Rockman?" Netto finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, Netto-kun?" Rockman responded.

"What's wrong? You've been really quiet," Netto said.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just thinking," Rockman answered and smiled.

Netto put down his juice and book and studied his navi. "You're a really bad liar, Rock," Netto pointed out.

"I'm not lying," Rockman said. "I am just thinking."

" 'bout what?" Netto inquired further.

Rockman hesitated. "I guess just about today. You can call me a worry-wart all you want, but something _is_ wrong. And it's not just dehydration."

Netto got up and sat down at his desk so he could talk with Rockman better. "What do think we should do?' Netto asked.

"You're not going to deny it?" Rockman asked, surprised.

Netto leaned back in his chair. "Nah. Not to you anyway."

"Netto-kun?" Rockman asked almost in a whisper.

"Yeah, Rockman?" Netto responded, still gazing at the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" Rockman asked, still in a hsuhed and worried voice.

Netto shrugged. "Dunno. It's just sometimes my chest hurts and I get dizzy."

Rockman thought this over. Could it be? he thought. He shook his head. The diagnostic that had come to mind was too terrible to think about and he forced the idea out of his head. After all, he wasn't a doctor.

Rockman was about to suggest mentioning his symptoms to the doctor tomorrow but the PET rang before he would muster a word.

"Oh, Netto-kun. It's Meijin-san," Rockman said as he pulled up the video link.

"Meijin-san!" Netto said, sitting back up in his chair.

"No need for the –san! Netto-kun, can you come down to SciLab for a moment?" Meijin asked.

"Of course," Netto answered cheerfully.

"Netto-kun!" Rockman groaned.

Netto ignored his navi. "What for?"

"A new net terrorist organization may be on the rise. We're just debriefing the possible case," Meijin informed the brunette.

"Okay, we'll be there," Netto said.

"Netto-kun!" Rockman nearly snapped.

"Oh, and Netto-kun?" Meijin added.

"Yes, Meijin-san?" Netto asked.

"Why are you in your PJ's?"

Netto laughed nervously and cut the link before Rockman could answer the question for him. It didn't stop the navi from nagging at him though.

"Netto-kun! Why didn't you tell him you couldn't go!? You're sick!" Rockman scolded.

Netto shuffled through his shirt drawer and pulled on his white shirt. "It's just a meeting, Rockman. What could go wrong?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Rockman answered, crossing his arm.

"Uh, no, not really," Netto said, "but still the _chances_ are pretty slim, since it didn't even sound sure if this new organization is for real."

Rockman grumbled something about "considering our luck" under his breathe.

"Come on, Rockman. You…"

"Don't even say it," Rockman cut in sternly.

Netto shrugged. "Fine. But if it makes you feel better, I'll walk."

"Fine," Rockman said. He wasn't satisfied, but this was Netto, and if Netto hadn't relented now, he wasn't going to. Why did his netop have to be so stubborn?

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Netto finally graced his comrades as he walked into the conference room.

"There he is," Meijin said as he walked in.

"What took you so long?" Enzan asked dryly.

"None of your business," Netto retorted as he sat down.

"Netto-kun, are you okay? You look kind of pale," Manabe noted.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Netto answered. Rockman shook his head in disbelief, but only Blues noticed.

"Everything okay?" he asked the shorter navi.

"Netto-kun's being stubborn again," Rockman answered.

"Did you two get in a fight?" Blues asked.

Rockman shook his head. "No."

Blues looked at the blue navi for a while, noticing that he was slightly tense. He didn't say anything, but he knew something was wrong.

"So shall we begin?' Kifune asked. Everyone nodded as Enzan got up and went to the front.

"Recently there's been increased activity in the Undernet," Enzan began. "Along with this, there are rumors of a group called Myst. At this time we have no info on this group, but even the Undernet navis seem nervous about the rise of this group."

"Then what do we need to do?" Netto asked.

"Keep our eyes and ears open. Unfortunately, we don't have enough information to take adequate action yet," Enzan said.

"Hmm, Myst..." Kifune pondered.

Suddenly laughter filled the hall, causing everyone to look around for the source.

Netto felt his heart skip a beat as a face appeared on the screen. "Hello, Net Savers," the navi began with an evil smile. "Let me introduce myself. I am Myst, the one who will be the cause of your downfall."

"What do you want?" Netto stood up and demanded.

Myst grinned. "To stop all opposition. I will not underestimate you like the organizations of the past."

As he finished speaking, a pillar of light appeared before them. A large, mountain-shaped navi revealed itself as the light died away. "I am Mountainman!" the navi boomed.

"How…?" Netto began, his heart starting to beat wildly.

"Meijin!" Enzan said as he turned to the scientist.

"_Yokai!_" Meijin said as he activated the dimensional area.

Netto pulled out his syncro-chip.

"Netto-kun!" Rockman yelled alarmed.

"Rockman, if we don't…" Netto started to say.

"And if we do," Rockman said almost angrily, though it was really all fear.

Suddenly, Netto felt himself being knocked to the floor. "Netto, you dope!" CF Blues yelled as a boulder flew past, barely missing them. "What are you waiting for? Crossfuse already!"

"Right! Syncro-chip, Slot in!" Netto said as he pushed the chip into the PET, hoping Rockman would corporate. Luckily, he did and Netto burst from the light of cross fusion, ready for battle.

Mountainman laughed: "Do you really think that will help you?" His deep voice shook the room.

"Fumikamizan!" CF Rockman yelled as the swords appeared in place of his hands. He moved to attack but the bulky navi threw up a defensive wall of rock, sending CF Rockman flying to the floor a few feet away.

"Netto!" CF Blues yelled. CF Rockman slowly pushed himself up, holding his chest. Everything began to blur.

"Netto-kun! We need to stop!" Rockman yelled worriedly, feeling Netto's dizziness and the intense pain in his chest. There was no way running into Mountainman's wall had caused that much damage.

"We can't quit," Netto responded stubbornly. "Geyser!" he yelled and smacked his hand down, sending a wall of water at the oversized navi. Again the navi moved to block the attack, but the force of the water knocked the wall down and soaked the navi.

"Enzan! Now!" CF Rockman yelled, though rather pitifully. He was quickly losing strength and consciousness. He was barely aware when Enzan slashed through Mountainman with Elecsword, causing the terrorist Navi to log out.

The dimensional area collapsed, everyone satisfied with the victory. But their feeling of comfort faded when they heard Rockman's frantic cries at his netop, who was lying unconscious on the ground for the second time that day.

They all raced over to him, Meijn rolling the unconscious boy over and putting his ear near his mouth and then to his chest. Enzan, Manabe, and Kifune all held their breath, waiting for Meijin's diagnosis. Rockman was near tears, clasping his own chest that was still burning with the pain he felt through their link.

"Someone call the ambulance," Meijin finally instructed fiercely. "Something's wrong with his heart."

Rockman's own heart sank. Maybe he had been right after all.

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And there's Chapter 3! I have to say, I was nervous myself writing that last bit. Any of you figuring out what's wrong with Netto?

Anyway, please review. If you do, I'll see you in Chapter 4: Lightman.EXE!


	4. LightmanEXE

Hey, _mina_! Chapter 4 is up and ready to read. We're making that time jump, so this chapter is picking back up where Chapter 1 left off. If you need a refresher, re-read the end of that chapter. Of course, this means Chapter 3 is still a cliff-hanger. Sorry. I promise we'll pick that plot back up next chapter.

Anyway, as always, read and enjoy! (and tell me if you did by clicking "review" at the bottom of the page.)

And again: I don't own Rockman!

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_Chapter 4: Lightman.EXE_

Everyone in the lab turned around as they heard the door open and close.

"Enzan-kun!" Meijin greeted pleasantly.

"Where is he?" Enzan asked.

"Who?" Hikari-hakase returned.

"The new navi you programmed. Lightman, I think," Enzan answered rather crossly, though his bad mood was not meant to be directed at the scientist. For a reason he could not explain, something about meeting Lightman had put him in a sour mood.

The scientist turned to the monitor he had been at. "So _that's_ where you two were," he stated to what Enzan assumed were Rockman and Lightman. His assumption was confirmed when he heard a hesitant laugh, probably from Lightman.

The large monitor in the room then came to life as the twin navis appeared on it.

"_Konnichiwa, _Enzan!" Lightman sing-songed.

Enzan didn't answer. He carefully studied the newcomer, who seemed to falter under his gaze. Lightman looked exactly like Rockman, down to the brilliant and unmistakable green eyes. The only way to tell them apart was that Lightman's color scheme, though while still blue, was composed of lighter shades. The only exceptions to this were the stripes which were dark blue.

"Um, Enzan?" Lightman cocked his head to the side.

"Why?" Enzan asked as he turned to Dr. Hikari.

The question caught the scientist off-guard. "Huh?"

"Why did you program him?" he indicated Lightman, who was wearing a rather blank expression.

"To keep Rockman company."

A million thoughts went through Enzan's mind. He had so many questions and he did not know where to begin. However, the most prominent one on his mind was why did Lightman bug him? But of course Hikari-hakase would not have the answer to that one.

He jumped slightly when Meijin placed his hand on his shoulder. "It's what Netto wanted," he said quietly.

He turned back to the navis on the screen. He noticed that Lightman was shifting uncomfortably.

"So why like Rockman?" Enzan asked Dr. Hikari.

"Um, well…it just seemed to fit," Dr. Hikari answered rather pathetically. Enzan's eyes narrowed. Something was going on here. But what?

"Okay. How long has he been here?" Enzan continued.

"Hello, I am in the room, you know!" Lightman interjected crossly, folding his arms. Enzan glared at him and the poor navi seemed to shrink back a bit.

"He's been here about a month," Rockman answered, taking a hold of Lightman almost as if in defense.

"Then why wait until now?" Enzan continued his interrogation.

"Wait until now? You mean to introduce him?" Dr. Hikari asked. Enzan nodded. "To give both Rockman and Lightman some time to adjust."

Enzan was quiet and did not continue his questions. He felt overwhelmed. Slowly he began to realize why Lightman bugged him—he wasn't necessary. He was simply here to…to, well, help everyone get over…

He closed his eyes, fighting back painful thoughts. It had been 3 months since Netto had… Enzan's face and fist tightened—he couldn't bring himself to remind himself. Lightman was not necessary! That's what upset him! All Lightman was was a reminder! He didn't need that! Rockman certainly didn't either!

Enzan turned and left the room without a word.

Lightman reached out, as if to stop him. Rockman gently held him back.

"Enzan…" Lightman whispered.

--------------------

"Enzan-sama? Are you okay?" Blues asked quietly as his netop walked down the hall.

Enzan sighed. "No. What was Hikari-hakase thinking when he programmed him?"

Blues did not know how to answer, so he didn't.

The two existed the Sci-Labs in silence and quietly got into Enzan's limo. Enzan stared out the window, watching the world pass by, but not noticing as it did. Netto kept creeping into his thoughts despite Enzan's mental protests. Netto always had been persistent, the idiot. He sighed. Stupid Lightman. Why did he have to remind him of Netto?

Why _did_ he remind him of Netto?

Enzan's mind began the race. The battle. The interrogation at Sci-Lab. Lightman _was _like Netto! Dr. Hikari had programmed Lightman to be like Netto!

"What was he thinking!?" Enzan exclaimed out loud.

"Enzan-sama?"

"Hikari-hakase programmed Lightman to be like Netto!"

"You can't be serious, Enzan-sama," Blues answered.

"_That's_ why that navi bugs me! How could Hikari-hakase do something like this!?" Enzan continued, almost enraged, though his voice gave a sense of one feeling hurt.

"Maybe it was Hikari-hakase's way of coping," Blues offered meekly.

Enzan pulled out his PET and looked at the red navi. "But, it's not right. Especially to Rockman…" Enzan began, suddenly drained of his upset feelings and a weariness taking its place.

"Actually, I don't think Rockman minds," Blues said. Enzan looked at his navi, silently asking him to explain. "Rockman was smiling during the battle, remember? No one has seen him do that since…"

"No one's really _seen_ him since the funeral, Blues," Enzan cut in. "He kept to himself, despite everyone's efforts."

"But he came back out and he's starting to be himself again. Maybe Lightman has had a lot to do with that," Blues continued. His voice then dropped into a sad whisper: "Rockman's moving on. Why can't you?"

Enzan turned to stare out the car window again. "It still doesn't make it right, Blues," Enzan said quietly. The pair sat in silence as Enzan continued to watch the world pass by as the car headed home.

--------------------

Rockman looked at Lightman with concern. He hadn't said a word since Enzan had left and he seemed to be staring aimlessly into space as they watched the various navis and programs rush about, working on the latest projects.

"Are you okay?" Rockman asked the lighter navi.

The other blinked as he was snapped out of his thoughts. "Huh? Oh, yeah," the other answered once his mind had returned to Earth, though Rockman could tell it still wasn't all there.

"Is it about Enzan?" Rockman asked.

Lightman frowned and looked down at his boots sadly. "Yeah," he answered. "If you ask me, that could have gone a whole heck of a lot better."

"Maybe," Rockman said as he turned back to continue watching the various activities of the Sci-Lab Network. "But I'm sure it came as a surprise to him."

Lightman looked back up and joined his partner in watching everything going on. "We're talking about _Enzan_. You would have thought we would have told him the truth."

"You're not going to, are you?" Rockman asked, slightly alarmed.

"Heck no!" Lightman responded, some of his liveliness returning, but it quickly left as he continued, almost in a whisper: "I think I'd like to wait longer until we tell everyone else." Rockman looked at Lightman as the lighter of the two looked up at the digital sky. "If Enzan reacted like that, I'd hate to see how everyone else will." He sighed. "I'm not ready for that."

Rockman smiled understandingly. "You're not regretting this, are you?'" he asked.

Lightman looked at the darker blue navi in surprise. "Of course not!" He said. "I mean, I don't like having to pretend I'm meeting everyone for the first time..."

"Which you failed at today," Rockman cut in jokingly.

"Ha ha, very fun," Lightman said sarcastically. Rockman just smiled at Lightman, who returned it. "Like I was saying, before I was _rudely_ interrupted, I hate having to pretend I'm meeting everyone for the first time and not being with them, but," Lightman turned to face Rockman and looked directly into his eyes, his own eyes sparkling with light, "it's all worth it if I'm here with you."

"Netto-kun…" Rockman whispered.

Lightman laughed and covered Rockman's mouth playfully. "You've got a big mouth! Lucky no one heard you."

Rockman wiggled himself free. "_Gomen_, Lightman."

Lightman shrugged. "I don't care if no one finds out, _niisan_."

"Lightman!"

Lightman laughed. "What? Technically, _niisan_ is fair game because we're twin navis. It's only if I add the Sa…" the rest came out muffled as Rockman clasped his hand around his brother's mouth.

Lightman laughed as we wrenched free of the hand. "How about Rock-_niisan_?"

"What?" Rockman asked, then shook his head. "For now, let's just stick with Rockman and Lightman, okay?"

"Why?" Lightman asked.

"Just for the sake of others and the situation," Rockman answered. He then smiled. "But at home, I'd be happy to have you call me _niisan_, if I can call you _toutousan_. We just need to wait until everything settles down until it can be a public thing."

"Sounds good, _niisan_." Lightman grinned innocently when Rockman gave him his look of disapproval, the exact response he had been going for.

"You're unbelievable," Rockman said.

Lightman grabbed onto his brother's arm. "And the amazing thing is that you love me anyway," he said.

Rockman couldn't but help smile again, happy that they were together. After all, it was only together that they had been able face anything and everything.

--------------------

So now you know who Lightman is! I hope this doesn't ruin the story for you all. I promise that there are still more things to come, even if you know Netto's ultimate fate. So please keep reading and reviewing!


	5. 2:00 Interview

Sorry for the delay! I actually meant to put this up a few days ago but for some reason could not submit the document! But it's here now, so I hope you all enjoy Chapter 5! This chapter picks up where Chapter 3 left off, so if you need a refresher, review that chapter. And if you don't, then Netto has just collapsed after crossfusing to battle Mountainman.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rockman

-----------------------------

_Chapter 5: 2:00 Interview_

The dark room seemed to give off an eerie green glow. The quiet hum and rhythmic beep of the various machines in the room only added to the chilling atmosphere. One occupant was too wrapped up in his worry to notice, waiting patiently for the other occupant to wake up. And when the other finally did awaken, he was reminded of a mad scientist's lab or an alien spaceship. It crossed his mind that maybe Rockman was right—maybe he did watch too many sci-fi and horror movies.

Netto groaned as he turned to the only comforting light in the room: the PET screen. "Rockman?" he called out weakly.

"Netto-kun," Rockman returned, suddenly snapped back from his thoughts.

"Where am I?" Netto asked his navi.

"The hospital. You collapsed again during the battle with Mountainman," Rockman responded. He hesitated before he continued: "They say it's your heart this time."

"Oh," was the only response he received from the exhausted boy.

"I'm going to call the nurse, okay, Netto-kun?" Rockman informed.

"You don't need to," Netto mumbled.

"Actually I do," Rockman said. "The nurse told me to call her as soon as you woke up." Before his netop could respond, the blue navi disappeared from the screen. It was not long before Rockman was back: "She's coming," he informed his friend.

Soon Netto heard his door gently open and a nurse walked in, turning on the light as she did. Netto blinked his eyes several times to adjust to the suddenly bright room.

She grabbed Netto's chart from the foot of his bed before asking, "How are you feeling, Hikari-kun?"

Netto smiled slightly. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

Missing the boy's sarcasm, or simply ignoring it, she dryly answered, "Yes."

"Okay, like crap," Netto put bluntly.

Rockman couldn't help rolling his eyes even though he was worried beyond his limit: "I think she wants you to be more specific, Netto-kun," the blue navi said.

"Your navi is correct. How do you feel 'like crap', as you put it? Where does it hurt? You're head? Chest? Arms? Legs?" the nurse said.

"Uh, check, check, check and check," Netto answered tiredly.

"Netto-kun, please corporate," Rockman moaned.

"I am!" Netto retorted weakly. Rockman shook his head. At least Netto was trying to be in good spirits—even despite the circumstances. Netto returned his attention to the nurse. "I'm really tired and I ache all over."

"Anywhere in particular?" the nurse continued.

"Is this really necessary?" Netto asked, starting to become mildly upset at being interrogated.

"Yes," Rockman and the nurse answered in unison, though Rockman sounded a little more forceful.

"Thanks, Rock," Netto said sarcastically.

"They can't help you if they don't know what's wrong," the navi pointed out.

"You said it was a heart problem. Sounds to me that they know what's wrong," Netto said.

"Yes, but the heart is a very complex organ, Hikari-kun," the nurse interjected. "While we assume it is the heart, the problem with your heart is not yet known and these questions will help us know where to look."

"Okay," Netto responded, "but do we have to answer these now? What time is it anyway?"

"2:09," Rockman answered promptly.

"No wonder I'm so tired," Netto mused.

"And so cranky," Rockman added.

"No one asked for your input!" Netto returned with something between anger and playfulness, though exhaustion, Rockman noted, was also very evident in his voice.

"Could we do this later?' Rockman asked the nurse.

"We need to finish this. If Hikari-kun would just cooperate, I'd be done in no time," the nurse answered.

Rockman did not agree with the nurse, but turned back to his netop: "Netto-kun?"

"Fine. What was the last question?" Netto asked, sighing.

"You said it hurt all over. Do some areas hurt more than others?" the nurse restated.

"Um," Netto thought, "my chest, I guess. Though I have a really bad headache right now."

"What were you doing before you fainted?" the nurse, not looking at Netto but at the clipboard in her hands.

Netto looked at Rockman for guidance, but he just shrugged. "Netbattling?" Netto suggested.

"Says here 'Crossfusion'," the nurse said, still looking at the board.

"Yeah, close enough," Netto answered tiredly.

"What is crossfusion?" the nurse asked.

"Isn't that a little off the topic?" the exhausted boy asked.

"No. I need to know why you fainted," the nurse said.

"They know you're a Net Saver, Netto-kun so you don't need to hold anything back," Rockman informed his friend.

"Oh," Netto said before turning back to the nurse. "Crossfusion is where a navi and a human fuse together."

"Does it have an effect on the human body?" the nurse continued.

"Duh," Netto responded, his grumpiness getting the better of him. Rockman mumbled his netop's name under his breathe, but the nurse ignored the boy's cross answer.

"How long have you had symptoms? Dizziness? Pain in the chest?" the nurse continued to ask.

"Uh," Netto reflected on the question before answering: "Dizziness for maybe up to a couple of weeks; the pain in the chest just yesterday,' he finally answered. "Though maybe my heart has been acting a little weird before then, but with nothing really hurting."

"That long?" Rockman said in dismay.

"I didn't want you to worry," Netto told his navi.

"But that's my job, Netto-kun!" Rockman cried out.

"No it's not," Netto returned.

Before Rockman could respond, the nurse asked, "Anything else I need to know?"

"Uh, Netto-kun has already fainted earlier that day from a race," Rockman said.

"Really?" the nurse asked, scanning the charts again. "It doesn't say anything in here about that. Did the people who brought you in know anything about that?"

Rockman shook his head, "No."

"But wouldn't have Mama come in and told them?" Netto asked Rockman.

"She may have, but they may not have added it to the chart since Meijin-san would have been able to complete the records fully," Rockman answered.

"It still should be on here. You were brought to the hospital, correct?' the nurse continued.

"So I've heard," Netto answered wearily, forcing his eyes to stay open.

"Yes, but they didn't admit him saying it was dehydration," Rockman informed the nurse.

"I see," she said. "Well, I'll let you go back asleep. Just be aware you'll be put through a bunch of tests tomorrow."

Netto didn't answer—he was already fast asleep. The nurse sighed as she put his chart back on the hook at the foot of the boy's bed.

"Nurse, do you have an idea of what may be wrong?" Rockman asked quietly.

The nurse shook her head. "No. We'll have to wait until the tests are done."

"_Arigato_," Rockman said as the nurse left, turning off the light as she did.

"Just call us when he wakes up again," the nurse instructed.

"_Hai_," the navi responded

Rockman turned back to his sleeping brother. The second attack had not been so kind on Netto. The first time he had awakened, slightly tired but generally feeling like he normally did. Now he was in pain, even if subdued, and very exhausted. Rockman hoped part of it was because it was now nearing 2:30 in the morning.

Rockman closed his eyes, wishing with all his might that it would all be a dream; that he would wake up and everything would be normal again. He could feel Netto's pain and it scared him because Netto would never admit to how much he hurt. Only he, Rockman, because of their link, would ever really know Netto's true pain.

But what was most discomforting to the navi was how frightingly familiar the pain was.

-----------------------------

Hope you all enjoyed Chapter 5. It was alot shorter than I intended so I'll continue with it in the next chapter! And thanks for all your reviews!


	6. Field Trip

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update! I've hit a writer's block and even though I'm writing, none of it is any good. So hopefully this chapter isn't lame.

I know I promised I'd pick up where Chapter 5 picked up, but I changed my mind (maybe and I should stop giving previews—they're mostly wrong…). However, don't fear! I added two chapters! So if you haven't figured this out, this chapter is with Lightman and the next chapter will have Netto.

And because I don't want to be sued: I don't own Rockman.EXE or anything like that. I'm just a fanfic writer! Don't hurt me!

_--------------------------_

_Chapter 6: Field Trip_

Lightman felt the gentle prodding but decided to ignore it. The prodding continued, increasing in intensity. Soon, a familiar voice calling his name was added to the attempts to wake him. "It's too early," the light-blue navi groaned.

Rockman moaned back: "Didn't Papa put a clock program in you?"

"Yep," Lightman answered groggily, "but doesn't mean I'll use it."

"You're impossible, Lightman," Rockman said, exasperated.

"Ten more minutes," Lightman responded.

Rockman put his hand on his hips. "You said that half an hour ago!"

Lightman curled up into a tighter ball, ignoring his brother.

Rockman sighed. "You leave me no choice," he said and took a deep breath. "_OKITE, _LIGHTMAN.EXE!"

Lightman jumped, suddenly wide awake. After recovering, Lightman glared at Rockman. "You never get tired of that, do you?" he asked crossly.

Rockman crossed his arms. "Actually, I do," he answered. He then smiled and sat down to his grumpy twin. "So, what do you want to do today?"

Lightman put his hands behind his head. "Dunno. But I'm sick of just here and Sci-Lab. Let's go somewhere new."

"How about Internet City?" Rockman suggested.

Lightman smiled excitedly. "_Tanoshi!_"

Rockman laughed at his brother's enthusiasm. "Then_, ikimashou_," he said as he stood up and then helped Lightman up as well. They then stepped on the link that led to the navi hotspot. Once through, Lightman looked around energetically. "So this is Internet City? It looks so different now that I'm actually in it," he said.

"I would imagine so," Rockman responded. "So where to first?"

"Dunno. How about the stadium?" Lightman suggested.

"Knew that one was coming," Rockman joked. Lightman just shrugged and then followed his counterpart as Rockman led the way.

_--------------------------_

Enzan looked blankly at the children playing at the park. He had not been able to get Lightman out of his thoughts and so he had decided to take a break from work. Sitting here absently wasn't helping him much though either.

"Enzan?" a familiar voice asked, snapping Enzan out of his thoughts.

"Sakurai! What are you doing here?" Enzan asked.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Meiru returned.

Enzan sighed. "Nothing, actually."

Meiru cocked her head. It was a rare event when the busy teenager did "nothing"—he usually didn't have time for "nothing". Meiru sat down next to him, knowing something was bothering the blue-eyed boy. They sat in silence at first, neither knowing how to begin. They both knew what was on the other's mind—Netto had been the only thing that they ever really had had in common.

"How are you holding up?" Enzan finally braved to ask.

"Okay," Meiru said quietly. "It's been two months." Enzan nodded. "And you?" she asked.

Enzan was silent for a moment, causing Meiru to look at him. "Enzan?"

"I'm okay," he said forcefully. Meiru looked at him quizzically. Enzan finally decided to risk another question: "What do you think of Lightman?"

"Lightman?" Meiru asked perplexed. "Who's he?"

Enzan looked at the girl and realized Lightman had probably been withheld from everyone else as well. "He's a new navi Hikari-hakase programmed to keep Rockman company," Enzan explained, returning his gaze downward, the blank look once again dominating his features.

"Oh, that's nice," Meiru mused.

"Yeah," Enzan said slowly, more to himself than to his peer.

Meiru looked at Enzan questioningly. "Is something wrong with Lightman?" she asked.

Enzan stood up quickly and shook his head. "Forget I said anything about it, okay?" he said as he then walked away, leaving Meiru speechless and confused.

_--------------------------_

Lightman skipped happily along the streets of Internet City, fully taking in everything around him, including the things above and below him; Rockman could not understand why the transparent walkways fascinated his brother so much, but then remembered that he had found them interesting at first as well. Lightman was just taking his amusement to the extreme because, well, that's what Lightman did. The fact that they had just come back from watching Netbattles at the coliseum did not help much to reduce Lightman's energy levels either.

Suddenly, something clicked in Rockman's head as he realized where they were. He grabbed onto Lightman arm, causing his twin to stop and look at him questioningly. "What's wrong, Rockman?" Lightman asked.

"Higureya is up ahead. If you don't want to meet anyone we know yet, we might want to avoid it and go a different way.

Lightman smiled and said, "Okay!" Rockman shook his head at Lightman's enthusiasm. He couldn't blame him though: Internet City was exciting, especially the first time.

Rockman then led his brother down a back alley and to another busy walkway.

"Ne, Rockman?" Lightman asked once they had resumed their exploration.

"Yeah, Lightman?" Rockman responded.

"What's you're favorite part in Net City?" Lightman asked.

"Uh," Rockman stammered, "I dunno. The coliseum is always fun. The park usually is too. I guess it just depends on what you need to do and who you're with."

"Do you miss everyone?" Lightman asked, some concern entering his voice.

Rockman shrugged. "A little," he admitted, "but I'd rather be with you."

Lightman grabbed onto his brothers arm. "Me too," he confided into Rockman's ear. They walked this way for a way, in silence, just enjoying each other's company. It caught Rockman off gaurd when Lightman suddenly he jerked him into an alley.

"Lightman! What the—" Rockman stated loudly before Lightman covered his mouth.

"Shh," Lightman put his finger to his mouth.

"What's wrong?" Rockman whispered.

"I saw Tomahawkman and Gutsman," Lightman whispered back. Just then they saw the two come into view and the twins slunk back further into the shadows so they couldn't be seen. Unfortunately, the alley was cut off and didn't go back too far. They could only sit back and watch as the two stopped within their view. Rockman noticed Lightman tense up when Roll also came into view.

"Roll-chan, de gutsu!" Gutsman greeted happily.

"_Konnichiwa ,_Gutsman. Tomahawkman," Roll returned. "Have you seen Rockman?" she asked.

Gutsman and Tomahawkman looked at each other then back at Roll. "No," Tomahawkman answered. "No one hardly sees him anymore. Why?"

"Well, Meiru ran into Enzan in the park earlier and he said something about Dr. Hikari programming a navi named Lightman to keep Rockman company," Roll explained. Rockman looked as his twin as he heard him cuss silently at Enzan.

"Lightman, de gutsu?" Gutsman asked.

"Have you checked on Rockman's homepage?" Tomahawk inquired.

Roll nodded. "As usual, it was empty," she answered

"Well, we'll tell Rockman you're looking for him if we see him or this Lightman," Tomahawkman promised.

"_Arigatou,_" Roll said.

"_Sayanora, _Roll-chan, de gutsu!" Gutsman called as they waved good-bye to each other and parted ways.

Once they were out of sight, Lighman collapsed against the wall. "Darn that Enzan!" he cursed.

Rockman sat next to his fuming brother. "What do you want to do now?" he asked.

Lightman shrugged helplessly. They sat, working out the new predicament at hand in their heads.

"I guess we just tell them when we run into them," Lightman finally said.

"Are you okay with that?" Rockman inquired.

"No. But Enzan ruined that one," he answered.

"Want to stay in Internet City or go back home?" Rockman asked.

"Go home," Lightman said, picking himself off the ground. Rockman followed suit and together they walked back into the street.

"Some field trip, huh?" Lightman asked playfully once they began their trek home.

"Well, except for the end, it was one of the best," Rockman returned.

"Darn bad endings," Lightman joked.

"It always gets better," Rockman said.

"Yeah it does," Lightman said quietly, grabbing onto his twin. "At least for us."

_--------------------------_

Japanese Words:

_okite_--wake up

_tanoshi_--fun

_ikimashou_--let's go

_arigatou_--thank you

_sayanora_--good-bye


	7. It Might Be

Once again, we're switching gears and picking back up where Chapter 5 left off.

And, as always, I don't own Rockman.exe.

_--------------------------_

_Chapter 7: It Might Be…_

Netto felt like screaming.

Never in his life had he been more tired of anything then he was right now with testing. It seemed that before he was even aware one had ended, he was whisked away to yet another test.

But despite the urge, Netto did refrain from screaming. This was not without consequences, however.

The nurses found themselves becoming increasingly annoyed and upset with the boy's complaining. There only defense against the boy's vocal frustration, it seemed, was the boy's navi. They would watch in amazement as the navi accomplished what they failed to do: soothe and quiet the boy. They considered the blue navi's patience to border miraculous everytime he repeated, yet again, "These tests are necessary, Netto-kun. They won't know what's wrong unless they do them. Just hold up a little longer, okay?" The boy would always pout in response, but, to the nurses' relief, quit complaining and relent to the next test. At this point, the navi would smile and reassure his friend that everything would work out. The boy always smiled back.

"Well, Hikari-kun," a nurse addressed to Netto as he climbed off a table, "we're finally done with the testing for now."

"Thank goodness! I thought I'd never hear that!" Netto exclaimed.

"Oh, come on. It wasn't that bad, was it?" Rockman teased.

"Oh, yes it was," Netto returned playfully. "I don't think it could have been any worse if I had actually felt sick."

Rockman shrugged, unable to come up with a comeback. He was just glad his brother was not in any pain at the moment.

"Well, are you ready to return to your room, Hikari-kun?" the nurse asked.

"Sure," Netto answered. The nurse pulled out a wheelchair and pushed it over to Netto. Netto crossed his arms. "I can walk," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Maybe, but after so much testing I figured you be tired," the nurse said.

"I can walk," Netto repeated.

"Netto-kun, just cooperate with the nurse please," Rockman begged.

Netto rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said as he sat down in the wheelchair. Once situated, the nurse pushed the wheelchair out of the room.

"Rock, what time is it?" Netto asked once they were making their way down the hall.

"About 1:00," Rockman answered as he appeared on Netto's shoulder. "Mama should be here," he added. Netto nodded. "What's wrong?" Rockman as he noted the concerned look on his netop's face.

"I'm just hoping Mama's not too worried," Netto responded.

Rockman smiled understandingly. "She probably is. But Mama's strong and is used to dealing with stress. After all, she has you for a son," Rockman teased.

"It's not all me!" Netto exclaimed defensively.

"Yeah, but most of it," Rockman returned.

"No way!"

"Deny it all you want, but it's true."

"I seem to recall that you're always in trouble with me," Netto accused.

"I'm just there to get you _out_ of trouble," Rockman charged back.

Before Netto could say anything back, the nurse asked, "Are you two always like this?"

The pair looked at each other amused. Rockman rubbed the back of his head: "Yeah, pretty much," he answered

The nurse smiled. "It's good you two are such good friends."

"Yeah, it is," Netto agreed. He turned back to his navi. "Rockman, I'm glad you're feeling better."

Rockman adverted his eyes away. "I'm still just as scared," he said quietly.

"I know," Netto responded gently. "But, it means a lot to me that you are trying to act _genki_." Netto watched amused as his navi blushed slightly.

"I…well…I just thought—," Rockman stuttered.

Netto interrupted: "You don't need to explain it to me, Rockman. Just accept it, okay?"

Rockman returned his gaze to his netop and then gave a small smile. "Okay," he whispered.

_--------------------------_

"Mama! Papa!?" Netto exclaimed once they reached the room. Both looked up immediately and then rushed to their son.

"Are you okay?" Yuuichiro asked as he tightly embraced his son.

"Yeah," Netto answered as he squirmed out of his parents' choking hugs. Once free, he asked, "But what are you doing here Papa? What about your conference in Kingland?"

Yuuichiro knelt beside Netto. "You're more important to me than any conference, Netto. You have no idea how scared I was when I received that call from Meijin, especially after having just talked Mama about what had happened earlier. Netto, you need to take better care of yourself!" Yuuichiro scolded.

"I didn't think anything would happen. It was _supposed _to be dehydration and it was _supposed_ to be a meeting," Netto explained.

Yuuichiro sighed. "Still, Netto…"

"I'm okay! Really," Netto said energetically in an attempt to comfort his worried father. It seemed to work somewhat because the scientist gave a small smile.

"Hikari-san?" the nurse asked. The man stood up and acknowledged the nurse. "After we get your son back into bed, is it all right if I talk to you outside for a moment?"

The scientist nodded: "Yeah, that will be fine."

Yuuichiro, Haruka and the nurse went to help Netto up and into bed, but he insisted that he was more than capable of getting into the bed himself. Once he was comfortable and his PET set on the table beside him, Yuuichiro followed the nurse into the hall.

"So, what is the diagnosis?" Yuuichiro inquired.

The nurse shook her head sadly as she explained that they did not have one yet. She expressed hope that the results from the tests that would come in later that night, or the next at the latest, would provide the answer they sought. She then continued to explain that it was probably a genetic heart disease because the boy, excluding his heart, was in very good health.

"Is there a history of heart disease in your family?" she finally concluded.

Yuuichiro sank down onto a bench and looked down at his feet, his hands clasped tightly in his lap. "Yes," he whispered. He paused, afraid to ask the question he was about to. "Has he been tested for HBD?" he finally asked quietly.

The nurse looked at the downcast man. "HBD?" she asked, embarrassed that she did not know the term.

"It's a very rare heart disease. His…twin brother died from it when they were 18 months," he answered, his voice barely audible.

"I see," was all the nurse could say, now beginning to realize the severity of the situation this family was now finding itself. "We'll run the tests tomorrow," she said, reaching her hand out to comfort the father. "However, if so much time has passed without it surfacing, it may be possible that it may not be HBD."

"That's what I'm hoping for," the scientist said, without looking up.

"Hikari-san, there is one more matter," the nurse said. "About the boy's navi."

Yuuichiro looked up in surprise. "What about Rockman?"

"The two are very close, aren't they?" she asked.

"Very," Yuuichiro answered, wondering where the nurse was going.

The nurse smiled and continued: "And Rockman is comfortable scolding Hikari-kun and not blindly obeying him, is that correct?"

"Yes," the scientist said slowly, still confused at the direction of this conversation.

"That's good," the nurse commented. "Hikari-san, in cases of extended stays, patients are issued nurse navis. However, watching your son today, I am beginning to wonder if Hikari-kun would not be in better care if his own navi. Hikari-kun seems much more willing to listen to his navi than anyone else," the nurse said. She continued on to explain, "So what I'm proposing is that Hikari-kun's navi go through a training program that would allow him to be a 'nurse' navi. This isn't normally offered to patient's navis because they can be too easily manipulated by their netops to not tell the nurses and doctores if a patient is doing something they are not supposed to. Furthermore, most navis would be too panicked to act quickly enough in an emergency. Bt since Hikari-kun and his navi are Net Savers, I'm sure he's use to acting quickly and effectively in emergency situations."

Yuuichiro pondered the proposal for a moment before asking, "When would Rockman go through the training?"

"Preferably tomorrow, but clearing him to take the program might be rather difficult for the reasons I explained earlier," the nurse answered.

Yuuichiro nodded and then looked down the hall when he heard his name called. He stood up as he greeted Meijin, Manabe and Kifune.

"How's Netto-kun?" Manabe inquired.

Yuuichiro forced a small weary smile. "Fine, from what I can tell."

"That's good to hear," Manabe responded.

"I guess I'll leave you all to visit," the nurse said as she turned to leave. "I'll inform you of anything that comes back as soon as possible, Hikari-san."

"Thank you," he said as she left.

"So do they know what's wrong?" Meijin asked.

Yuuichiro shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately, no."

"Hmm," was all Meijin could think to mutter.

"Well, why don't we go in and see Netto-kun for ourselves," Kifune suggested as he reached for the door.

"Sounds good," Meijin said as they entered the room. Meijin, Manabe and Kifune were relieved to find that Netto was in high spirits and that, except that he was sitting in a hospital bed, he appeared to be in normal health. It wasn't long before the tense feelings that everyone had brought had melted under the presence of Netto's characteristic energy. A few times, a few of the nurses and doctors had to stop to look in and see why everyone was laughing, finding such cheerfulness somewhat out of place.

And to those in the room, one could almost believe nothing was wrong at all.


	8. Roll's Strategy

Another update! I'm on a roll! Hope I can keep it going. Thank you to all those who have reviewed, including: Firehedgehog, redharuka96, Yuki's Little Girl, jhvh777, Rikku Highwind20, miforever29, and Marshmellow Dragon. It's because of your reviews I'm able to keep going, even despite writer's block and busy times! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And so now I'm ready to present Chapter 8: "Roll's Strategy"! Hope you enjoy. Oh, and by the way, this is picking up chapter 6 with Lightman.

And last but not least: I do not own Rockman.EXE. Capcom and those guys do. (Lucky ducks. But I guess I should thank them too for their obvious inspiration. Hehe).

_Chapter 8: Roll's Strategy_

Both Roll and Meiru were surprised that the other was already up at 5:00 in the morning. They had both planned to let the other sleep in until the normal time while they accomplished what each had set out to do that morning. Meiru, however, had a much more legitimate excuse than her partner for the early rising.

"Homework," she simply said when the pink navi had inquired why see was up so early. "I didn't finish last night," Meiru explained further; then, curious, asked, "Why are you up?"

"To see if I can finally catch Rockman and this Lightman," she answered.

Meiru looked at Roll doubtfully. "I don't think you should sneak up on them like that," she said cautiously.

"Well, I'm tired of waiting," Roll countered. "I've been looking for them for the past four days and haven't seen a sign of them. So this time, I've _got _to sneak up on them."

Meiru still looked doubtful, but didn't protest as the navi went through the link, letting her own curiosity about Lightman get the best of her. The screen went blank as Roll went through the link, and Meiru almost panicked until she realized that the homepage Roll was on was simply dark. Roll hoped the site was dark because the two were sleeping and not because they were gone.

Roll looked around cautiously, letting her eyes slowly adjust to the dark. Even so, she could hardly make anything out.

Suddenly the lights went on, causing both Roll and her observing netop to jump. She looked behind her, where she saw Rush, who had apparently just turned on the light switch.

"_Mou_, Rush! Why did you do that?" Roll demanded angrily. Rush bowed his head in shame and all Roll could do was sigh. "We need to be quiet," she admonished.

"Roll-chan?"

The voice caught the female navi off guard. She whirled around, ready to defend herself, until she realized who had addressed her. A few feet away Rockman sat up, rubbing his eyes like he had just been awakened (which he had). Near him laid a navi that looked exactly like him, except lighter, still sound asleep.

"Oh. Rockman, sorry," she said, blushing wildly from embarrassment,

"What are you doing here? And at 5:00 in the morning?" Rockman asked, getting up and approaching Roll.

Roll blushed an even deeper red. "I wanted to see you," she said. "I've been looking for you for the past four days."

"Oh," was all Rockman could say.

Roll looked over Rockman's shoulder at Lightman. "Is that Lightman?" she asked. Rockman joined her gaze at his brother and nodded.

"Yeah, that's him," he said.

Rush walked over and looked curiously at the Rockman look-alike. He then barked loudly at the sleeping figure.

"Rush!" Roll scolded.

"Hmmn. Too early," Lightman moaned, rolling over.

Rockman rolled his eyes.

"Why does he look like you?" Roll asked after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Er, well, Papa…" Rockman fidgeted uncomfortably as he struggled for an answer.

He was saved by a groggy voice asking, "What's wrong, Rockman?" Both navis looked at Lightman, Rockman surprised he was actually awake this early. He then realized it was he who had probably awaken him by unintentionally sending nervous feelings through their link.

Lightman looked at the pair, trying to figure out what the heck was going on this early. He was also having a hard placing what the pink blur beside the blue one he understood was his brother was. His eyes suddenly snapped open as his mind registered what that pink blur was.

"Roll!" he exclaimed.

"Hello," Roll returned slowly, confused at Lightman's sudden perplexed and nervous expression on his face.

"Wh…what are you doing here?" Lightman asked nervously.

"You're not one much for introductions, are you?" Roll asked.

"Uh…" Lightman was at a loss for words, afraid that if he said anything more, he might set himself up for a complete disaster.

He was grateful when Rockman took up the reins. "Roll-chan, this is Lightman. Lightman, this is Roll-chan," he introduced, feeling rather awkward at introducing two people he knew already knew each other, even if one side had no idea that she already knew the other.

"Uh…nice to meet you," Lightman said, still rather nervous at the events unfolding.

"You too," Roll returned. She could not help but feel the tension in the air that emitted from both Rockman and Lightman. After a moments pause, Roll broke the silence by asking, "Umm, Rockman. Do you and Lightman," she glanced nervously at Lightman when she mentioned him, "want to meet us at Maha Ichiban after school? Everyone's been wanting to meet Lightman."

Both Rockman and Roll looked startled at Lightman when they heard him mumble something grumpily about "Enzan and his big mouth". Roll was perplexed at the weird response, but Rockman just gave a weary sigh.

"It's really up to Lightman," Rockman finally answered Roll. "He's been kind of nervous about meeting everyone. Enzan…didn't receive him too well," Rockman explained.

"Why?" Meiru asked, her face appearing beside Roll on a pop-up screen. Rockman felt Lightman tense up as he saw his friend's face. Rockman couldn't help but feel that it must be unsettling for him to see her face after so long and then to see it through a screen. And probably even harder was the fact that she had no idea who he really was.

"Well?' Roll demanded, breaking the twins from their pause.

"Er, well, how should we know?" Lightman said. "But he wasn't happy at all."

"Weird," Meiru said. All three navis nodded in agreement.

"Maybe it's 'cause we wounded his pride by saving his butt," Lightman mused jokingly, putting his hands behind his head.

"I doubt that's it," Rockman said under his breath.

"What was that, Rock?" Lightman said.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter," Rockman returned. Lightman looked doubtful, but let it pass.

"So, are you going to meet us or not?" Roll demanded impatiently, getting the boys back on track.

Rockman looked at his brother: "Light?"

"Err, I guess," he said slowly. He personally did not want to but he knew Rockman did. And in the end, he would have to meet them all eventually and it did no good to wait—especially since they were apparently hunting him.

"After you guys get out of school?" Rockman asked.

Roll nodded. "At Maha-Ichiban," she said.

"How about we meet you at the park in Internet City?" Rockman suggested, afraid Lightman would make a slip up if he went to the curry restaurant. And even if he didn't, he thought it might be too painful for Lightman to be surrounded by his love food and then not being able to eat it.

Of course, Roll did not know these reasons and thought the request odd. "Sure. But why?" she asked.

"Um, well Lightman and I were going to go anyway, so…"

"We were?" Lightman cut in, surprised. He had thought they were going to SciLab.

"Yes. I was going to show you something," Rockman answered, hoping his brother would catch on and play along.

"Okay," Lightman answered slowly, confused and totally missing Rockman's point.

"Well, then, we'll see you at the park," Roll finally said.

"Okay. See you later, Roll-chan," Rockman waved good-bye.

Roll waved back as she disappeared through the link.

"So what are you going to show me?" Lightman asked as Rockman sat back down next to him.

Rockman sighed at his twin's clueless nature. "I was making an excuse because I figured it'd be hard for you to go to Maha-Ichiban," he explained.

The whole thing finally clicked in Lightman's mind as he said, "Oh, I get it."

Rockman shook his head. "You're hopeless, Lightman."

"It's 5:30 in the morning, _nii-san_," Lightman pointed out, thinking it was a good excuse.

"Completely hopeless," Rockman repeated before turning back to go back to sleep.

Lightman looked at his older brother, trying to decide if he should be offended or not, but decided he was too tired to care and let himself slip back into his sleep mode.


	9. The Problem

Okay, I'm going to try and cover a lot in this chapter, so hopefully I can get through all we need to. So get ready and buckle your seatbelts, kids! And remember, we're jumping back to Netto in the hospital.

Also, let's get one thing straight, and that is I DON'T OWN ROCKMAN.

_Chapter 9: The Problem_

"I'm looking for Hikari Netto."

The nurse looked up from the forms she was filling out at the white-haired boy. "He's on the second floor, room 246," she informed him as she pointed in the direction of the elevators.

"Thank you," Enzan said and walked in the direction she had pointed.

Noting the boy looked tired, Blues hesitantly asked, "Are you okay, Enzan-sama?"

"I didn't sleep well last night, Blues," Enzan answered as he pushed the button that called the elevator.

"I'm sure he's fine," Blues reassured him, though a part of him still worried for his netop's brunette friend. Enzan only nodded as the elevator door opened.

Once on the second floor, he stopped again and asked for room 246.

"Are you looking for Hikari-kun?" the nurse asked. Enzan nodded, surprised that the nurse already seemed to know Netto. The nurse pointed down the hall. "Just go straight and turn the corner. There are already a lot of people there, so it shouldn't be hard to miss."

"Thank you," Enzan said again and walked toward the room. He found the nurse was correct about being able to easily pick out Netto's room because of the pleasant conversation emanating from the room.

"Glad to see you're feeling better," Enzan commented as he walked in.

"Oh, hey, Enzan," Netto greeted cheerfully.

Enzan glanced around the room full of people. "When the nurse said there were a lot of people here, I thought she would be referring to your friends."

Netto laughed weakly. "I'm sure they would be here—if they knew."

"You haven't told them?" Meijin raised an eyebrow.

Netto shook his head. "Nope. I haven't told them for two reasons: One, I've been having those annoying tests all day; and two, they would freak out, especially Meiru-chan. She was already in tears the first time I…."

"THE FIRST TIME!" Kifune, Manabe, Meijin, and Enzan all exclaimed.

"Oops," Netto shrunk back into the bed.

"Busted," Rockman commented.

"What do you mean the first time!?" Enzan demanded angrily.

"Err…well…I had fainted at school doing relays earlier yesterday," he said nervously, then exclaimed defensively, "They only said it was because I was dehydrated!"

"Netto-kun, still…" Meijin began.

Netto rolled his eyes. "I've already heard it, okay?"

The all sighed. Typical Netto.

"So, what are they saying this time?" Enzan asked.

"Huh? Oh, they don't know," Netto answered as his PET started to ring.

"It's Meiru-chan, Netto-kun," Rockman informed his netop.

"Crap!" Netto cursed. "Ignore it, Rock."

"Netto-kun! But…!" Rockman stammered.

"I don't want her to freak," Netto returned.

"Ignoring her isn't going to help," Enzan said.

"Have you ever been in a room with her when she's worried?" Netto asked.

"No," Enzan answered.

"Then zip it," Netto returned.

"I think you should still answer it," Enzan said.

Netto shrugged, but by this time, the PET had stopped ringing anyway.

"You can't hide this from her forever, Netto-kun," Rockman said. "And not answering your PET won't keep her from worrying—in fact it'll probably make her worry." He had placed emphasis on the "make".

"I know," Netto responded. "I'm just hoping that I'm out of here before she has to find out."

"Hopefully," Rockman whispered.

---------

Rockman fidgeted nervously. Surprisingly, the nurse that had talked to Yuuichiro had already succeeded in getting him into the nursing program. Apparently, it had not been all that difficult because Netto was already gaining a reputation for being a difficult patient, and they had reasoned that if he didn't listen to them, what would keep him from ignoring a nurse navi? Of course, there still were some doubts about a civilian navi acting as a nurse, but the nurses had decided that, in this case, it was worth a shot—if it did not work, they could always give him a nurse navi later.

But the training program was not what was making Rockman nervous. It was the fact that Netto was going through a test for goodness who knew what and he was not there. Hanako-san, one of the nurses Netto liked better, had come in earlier that morning, announcing Rockman's acceptance into the Nursing Training Program for Navis and also that Netto would be taking another test. She had never said what the test was for, and, of course, finding he had to take yet another test had made Netto rather ticked. But Netto had also started to feel an ominous feeling about the test. And without saying anything to one another, Rockman knew of Netto's tensions and he also knew that Netto knew that he had also felt the same dooming feeling. They both could not help but feel this test was for something serious—after all, they had told them the day before that he was done with tests unless something else had surfaced.

But what had surfaced? Rockman felt his stomach twist, desperately wanting to know. He wanted to be there with Netto. At this moment he felt so helpless, even though he knew what he was doing would help his best friend in the long run.

This thought was the only thing that really kept him going as he hid his nervousness. He knew that if the trainers knew how sick he felt they would probably reconsider training him. And then where would he be? He would have to hand the care of his brother over to someone else and he would be unable to do anything to help him. Rockman couldn't stand the thought of being powerless to help the person he cared most for, so he forced himself to be calm and focused. Netto needed him and he was not going to let him down!

---------

The room was dark when Rockman was finally carried back to Netto's room. Netto's form lay still, breathing peacefully.

"Looks like he's asleep," the nurse carrying Rockman's PET whispered.

Rockman started to nod as Netto's head suddenly turned toward them.

"Rockman?" he called groggily.

"How are feeling, Netto-kun?" Rockman somewhat nerrvously returned as the nurse set the PET on the table beside the bed so Netto could see it clearly.

"Tired," was the netop's quick answer. "They freakin' sedated me."

"That would make you sleepy," the blue navi attempted at slight humor as he projected himself into a hologram.

"I never thought I could get tired of sleeping," Netto wearily picked up on the attempt. He then smiled wearily and closed his eyes.

"Netto-kun?" Rockman hesitantly asked after a few moments of silence, not one hundred percent sure if his netop had fallen asleep.

"Hmm?" Netto answered back, indicating that he was still awake even though his eyes remained closed.

"Do they know what's wrong yet?" Rockman quietly asked, afraid of the answer no matter what it was.

"No," came the sleepy response. "They didn't even tell me what the test was for."

"Oh," Rockman responded. He then looked up as a light from the hall flooded into the room as two people walked in. At first he couldn't tell who they were, but as they moved in, Rockman realized it was Netto and his Papa and the doctor, quietly talking about something.

"…s asleep," Rockman caught the end of the doctor's sentence as they moved next to the bed.

"Nn…'m not 'sleep," Netto mumbled out groggily.

Both men looked down at the bed in surprise. "Looks like you're about to though," Yuuichiro smiled softly as he brushed his hand gently across his son's forehead. Netto could tell, even though his sight was blurred from sleepiness, that something horrible was bothering his father. Rockman noticed the sadness too and his heart sank.

"Do you want to tell him? Or should I?" the doctor asked the forlorn-looking man.

The scientist sighed heavily and said, "I will."

He pulled a chair up to the bed and grabbed Netto's hand, holding it gently but firmly.

"Netto…" Yuuichiro began, but stopped. Netto could tell he was struggling within himself, fighting to get the words out and the tears in.

"It's HBD, isn't it?" Netto quietly whispered after a few moments, sparing his father having to muster out the diagnosis.

Yuuichiro looked at his son slightly stunned before nodded, muttering a barely audible "yes".

Rockman was defenseless against the tears that now spilt freely from his eyes. He had been right. He had been right, no matter how many times he had pushed away the horrible thoughts. He had known, but had been unwilling of the truth—even now he felt some need to disbelieve the truth. And now he knew why the pain had felt so familiar, even if he had denied it, excusing it as the imagination of his cautious and worrisome mind. But now they knew, for sure, and Rockman could do nothing to chase it away. He felt he was losing, with no way to escape…

"Rockman," the soothing and worried voice called Rockman back to the room.

He quickly wiped away his tears. "_Gomen, _Ne…"

"It'll be okay," Netto cut-off, his voice gentle and comforting. "We always get through, don't we?"

Rockman had to smile, even though the tears continued to fall unhindered. He couldn't tell if Netto really believed that everything would be okay or if he was just saying that to comfort him. But it didn't really matter right now because he was willing to believe what his brother had said just now no matter if it was true or not.

"But, how did you know?" Rockman asked.

Netto shrugged. "I don't know. Just…I guess…" Netto couldn't figure out how he knew. It had just been a feeling, but he now wondered if it hadn't been Rockman's. "Did you know?" he asked

"I…It crossed my mind," he hesitantly answered.

Netto closed his eyes again. "I think I knew because you knew," Netto whispered.

"I'm sorry," Rockman looked down.

"Don't be," Netto answered, his voice fading. "We'll get through this, Rockman. We always do."

"Yes, we do," Rockman whispered back so only Netto could hear, wanting so much to believe it.

Rockman, Yuuichiro, and the doctor watched as Netto fell back asleep; however, they could tell the slumber was no longer peaceful as Netto's face adopted a slightly pained look. Rockman started to feel subtle pangs in his chest ant the doctor noted that the heart-beat on the monitor was somewhat irregular. Nothing dangerous, but definitely something to keep an eye on.

"Can you keep on eye on him, Rockman?" the doctor asked.

"_Un_," Rockman nodded, not taking his eyes off his sick brother.

"I'll send a nurse to also help tonight," the doctor added. Again, the navi nodded. "Hikari-san. Are you going to stay here tonight?" he asked as he turned his attention to the scientist.

Yuuichiro nodded. "I'll stay here," he stated The doctor nodded understandingly and left, leaving the man clasping his son's hand as if he would never let go.


	10. Fitting In

Because I depressed you all last chapter, I decided I should entertain everyone with a more fun chapter. So once again we are shifting gears and picking back up with Lightman. And if you don't feel like checking how chapter 8 ended, Roll has invited Rock and Light to meet everyone at Net City. Okay, now that we've shifted gears, let's get going! Yay!

Oh, and I added a bonus section at the end, so make sure you check it out!

And now for the part I really should just copy and paste: I don't any of the rights to Rockman.EXE (or any other form of Rockman for that matter either.)

_Chapter 10: Fitting In_

Lightman kicked his legs forward with full force, pushing the swing into a forward motion. Rockman sat in the next swing over, gently rocking back and forth in his own seat as he watched his brother swing higher. To any navi that happened to pass by, they may have thought that the two were just playing and enjoying themselves, especially the lighter blue one. However, Rockman knew better.

Lightman was nervous. He was about to meet his friends' navis in person for the first time and interacting with them instead of those whom he knew better. Not that getting to know the navis better was a bad thing, it was just…different. But the knowledge that he would be separated from his friends, still able to talk to them but not able to be with them that was more unsettling. The fact that they would have no idea who he was only increased the butterflies in his stomach.

And what if they reacted like Enzan had? What if they did not accept him? What if whatever bothered Enzan bothered them too?

Lightman clung to his swing tighter and pumped harder. He had faced so many uncertainties before: what was it about being with his friends that made him so nervous? Was it the fact that it was his friends?

Rockman patiently watched his brother as Lightman soared higher and higher on the swing. He wanted to say something to comfort his nervous partner, but doubted that he would hear him. So he just watched, trying to settle and calm Lightman through their link. He didn't know how well it worked, but he tried nonetheless as he watched, half wondering if Lightman would actually pump himself so high that he would actually swing around the top bar.

Then, without warning, Lightman let go of the swing, letting himself fly high into the air before landing rather gracefully on the digital sand.

"Not bad."

Both Rockman and Lightman swung around to the owner of the familiar voice. They were greeted by the sight of Tomahawkman and Gutsman.

"So you must be Lightman," Tomahawkman indicated at Lightman.

"Uh, yeah," Lightman answered, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Tomahawkman gave a large grin as he introduced himself: "I'm Tomahawkman. And the big guy behind me is Gutsman." He pointed at mentioned navi.

"And I'm Dingo," Dingo said energetically as his face appeared in a window next to Tomahawkman.

Another window popped up next to Gutsman. "My name's Dekao," Dekeo said.

"Ni…nice to meet you," Lightman greeted, feeling a wave of awkwardness rush over him. It was an unfamiliar feeling because he rarely felt out of place.

Tomahawkman seemed to notice Lightman's nervousness because he slung his arm around the blue navi's neck pulling him into a headlock. "Why are you so uptight?" he teased.

Lightman sweatdropped. "You have no idea," he mumbled to himself so no one could hear him.

"Why does Lightman look like Rockman, de-gutsu?" Gutsman asked Rockman. Rockman just shrugged, pretending to be absorbed in watching the struggle between the two other navis, his twin quickly becoming upset with his captor as he tried to escape the tight bond around his neck.

"Oh, you guys are already here," Roll said as she, Glide, Iceman, Aquaman, Numberman and Rush walked up.

"Roll-chan, de-gutsu!" Gutsman called out.

"Roll-chan, _mina_!" Rockman greeted.

Tomahawkman also looked up to acknowledge the approaching group, giving Lightman the chance to escape from the Native American-themed navi by stomping on his foot. Tomahawkman howled in pain as he grabbed his foot, releasing the light-blue navi. Rockman gave his brother a disapproving look as Lightman took his place next to him, but either Lightman did not notice or he simply chose not to acknowledge the unspoken scolding. Rockman suspected the latter of the two. Once he had finished fussing over his foot, Tomahawkman also glared at Lightman. Lightman just glared back, a triumphant smile hinting on his lips. Tomahawkman fumed, Lightman stuck out his tongue, and Rockman sighed in defeat.

"So you must be Lightman," Glide said as he extended a hand, breaking the dispute between Tomahawkman and Lightman. "Allow me introduce myself. I am Glide, Yaito-sama's navi."

Lightman accepted the hand, giving a cheerful smile. "Nice to meet you, Glide," he returned. Rockman smiled as the rest of the group introduced themselves to Lightman. He felt relieved that Lightman had loosened up and had reverted to his normal, happy self, even though he still sensed Lightman still felt slightly awkward. But he couldn't blame him—after all, he was pretending not to know them.

Rockman then turned to Tomahawkman, who was watching as Lightman and the others talked. He mouthed "I'm sorry" to him, but Tomahawkman just smiled and waved it off, at which Rockman smiled gratefully. However, he swore he saw a hint of revenge gleam in the other navi's eye, and Rockman knew it would be war between those two.

Oh well. At least those two would get along.

----------

Rockman had to cover his hearing receptors as his brother cheered loudly right next to them. The fact that Tomahawkman was right next to Lightman cheering just as loud did not help matters much either. It could not have been any louder if the two had been in a cheering contest as they watched the soccer game in the coliseum; actually, Rockman half believed the two _were_ in a cheering competition, competitively trying to out-yell the other.

But despite the voice rivalry, Rockman was enjoying himself. It had been a long time since he had hung out with his friends like this—years, really. He had almost forgotten what it was like to just relax. And the fact that he was sharing it with his twin, as Lightman grabbed onto him in excitement as different plays were executed, made it all the better.

Everyone else was enjoying Lightman's company as well, though Rockman did notice that Roll was becoming progressively clingier and less talkative throughout the day. But other than that, everyone laughed and talked freely with the light blue navi as if they had known him their entire lives. It made Rockman feel so much better knowing that the tensions about wondering how they would receive Lightman had passed and had passed outstandingly, even if Lightman and Tomahawkman would forever be bound in friendly rivalry.

After the game, the group of friends made their way from the coliseum chatting merrily about the game and other topics. If this had been the real world, the sun would have been about ready to set, but since it was the net, the sky blazed a refreshing blue and the streets of Internet City were still active. Shortly after the group had started make their way to wherever they were going, Lightman leaned over to his twin.

"Rockman, can navis go hoarse?" Lightman whispered confidentially.

Rockman chuckled to himself. "I don't think so," he whispered back. Almost as soon as he finished the answer, he found Roll grabbing onto his arm.

"Roll-chan?" Rockman asked in surprise. She didn't answer but only held on tighter. Both Rockman and Lightman looked at her quizzically.

"Hey, what were you two whispering about?" Tomahawkman asked pleasantly.

Lightman grinned as he put his arms behind his head. "Nothin'!" he answered cheerfully.

"No, really!" Tomahawkman pushed.

"Not any of your business," Lightman taunted back, causing Rockman to roll his eyes. Everyone laughed, except Tomahawkman.

"Iceman, it's getting late. I think it's time you should come home," Tohru said as his face appeared on a window beside Iceman.

Shuuko's face also appeared next to her navi. "You too, Aquaman."

"I think it's getting late for everyone," Higure said as his face too appeared.

"It was nice to meet you, Lightman," Glide said, again extending his hand.

"You too! All of you!" Lightman returned. Then everyone waved good-bye as one by one the navis logged out, Roll rather reluctantly. Soon the twins were the only ones left.

"Well?" Rockman turned to his look-alike.

"Well, what?" Lightman asked, clueless.

Rockman shook his head. "Have fun?"

Lightman gave a wide grin. "Oh course! And you?"

"_Un_. I hadn't realized how long it's been since I've hung out with them like that."

"I'm sorry," Lightman responded.

Rockman looked at Lightman startled. "For what?" he asked.

"Well, it's because of me it's been so long," Lightman answered regretfully.

"It's not your fault!" Rockman exclaimed.

"Maybe, but still…"

"Forget it. Anyway, I'm just glad you got along great with everyone," Rockman said.

"Yeah! What's Enzan's problem?" Lightman continued playfully, causing Rockman to chuckle.

"Well, let's go home. We promised we'd help Papa tomorrow," Rockman said as he started toward the link that would lead them home.

"Sounds good to me!" Lightman said as he followed. He then had an idea and tapped his brother on the arm before taking off at full speed. "Tag you're it! Catch me if you can!" he called back.

"Don't think I can't!" Rockman challenged loudly in return as he sprinted off to catch his twin, laughing and yelling happily all the way home.

A mysterious figure watched as the two raced past him on the street. He grinned evilly. "You laugh now, children, but just wait. It won't be long now until we execute our plans on your net. And then, like the Eon Net and the Undernet, you will be ours!!!"

And with that, the figure continued his way unnoticed down the streets of Internet City.

----------

Oh! Cliffhanger! Sorry, but I had to do it. I mean, up until now, this arch didn't have much of a plot and since this story _is_ labled part Action/Adventure, I have to take this story somewhere. So what will happen? What's the Eon Net? Well, if I told you, there would be no point in a cliffhanger!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll probably return to the depressing stuff next chapter, but since I usually lie about the next chapter, don't hold you're breathes. It's not that I mean to lie about this stuff, it's just that the story turns out so much more different when I actually write it. So yeah…

And don't forget the bonus right after this (like, a couple of lines)! It answers a question that I doubt any of you actually asked: Where did I get the name Lightman? Well read on and find out!

Bonus:

Okay, so how did I come up with the name Lightman for Netto? It's actually really corny, but I thought I'd tell you anyway. There is some stroke of genius if you squint _really_ hard—or maybe it's just the smudge on the glasses I'm wearing? … sweatdrops. So anywho, most of you know that the main characters in Rockman are named after musical genres or terms, so I thought Netto should follow the scheme. But after racking my brain, I couldn't come up with something fitting, especially since I wanted to play off Rock. At the time, the color scheme for Lightman was yellow (which, if you care to know, later became green and finally light blue at the last moment—I actually had to go back and change chapter one). Furthermore, Netto's last name is Hikari, which means "light". So, for the time being, I named him Lightman, fully intending to change his name later. Then I realized that Light plays off Rock! If you combine the two, you get the music genre Light Rock!!! Okay so REALLY corny, but if it works, it works. I'm not going to go back and change it, anyway—that'd be too much of a hassle. But at least now you know my reasoning for naming Netto's navi form Lightman, even if it is corny.


	11. You Can't Die!

Disclaimer: I don't own Rockman. And that's all I have to say this time.

_Chapter 11: "You Can't Die!"_

"Mou! WHERE THE HECK IS HE!?"

Meiru tapped her foot impatiently on the porch of the Hikari household. However, no one answered the pink haired girl and the only sound that could be heard was the ruffling of the leaves of the nearby bushes and the faint bark of a dog somewhere else in the neighborhood. But this house just loomed above her, silent and empty. And despite her outward frustration, fear took hold of her heart. Everything was amiss. The fact that Netto was gone not so much, after all, the brunette was often gone. But it had always seemed to Meiru that his mother was always there to greet her with a cheerful and welcoming smile. But now even she was not here and the house stood motionless and void of life.

Then there was the fact that the boy in question had not answered his PET for the two days, despite her constant calls. She had even risked calling him during school today, just to see what would happen. But like the calls the day before and that morning, the PET just rang and rang.

At first Meiru had forced herself to stay calm. After all, Netto had ignored her calls before. But now the span of unanswered calls was growing too long. In the past, Netto had always given in eventually—or Rockman for him. Surely at least Rockman would have answered by now.

So slowly Meiru found herself giving way to worry, even though she still outwardly expressed the emotion as frustration. She could not help but wonder if something happened after they had left the day before yesterday. Was Netto really okay?

"Roll-chan?" Meiru pulled out her PET for the millionth time that day.

"Call Netto, right?" Roll guessed. Meiru nodded. Roll smiled understandingly and tried once again to get hold of the missing boy and his navi. She waited for the PET to start ringing, but instead was greeted with an unwelcome beeping:

"The person you are trying to call in unavailable at the moment," the automated voice informed the pink navi and her netop.

The two stood in silence, stunned, as the PET continued to beep and replay the message.

"It seems they have disconnected the link," Roll finally said, not quiet sure of why Netto would take such an action.

Meiru twitched.

"Meiru-chan?"

"NETTO! YOU BAKA!" Meiru yelled out, not caring if anyone cast scared looks at her.

------------

"Netto-kun! You can't do that!" Rockman nearly screeched as Netto set the PET back on the table.

"Netto-kun! Turn the link back on!" Rockman scolded again when his brother did not respond. He watched dismayed as Netto rolled over in response, away from the nagging Rockman and cuddled further into his blankets.

"NETTO-KUN!" Rockman yelled again. Netto looked at him from the corner of his eye, but did not move from his current position.

"I can't sleep with the PET ringing all the time," Netto answered groggily.

Rockman crossed his arms. "You're going to give Meiru a heart-attack."

"I'm going to give her one if I tell her I had one," came Netto's muffled retort as he pulled the blankets up further over his head.

Rockman sighed and decided to give up. Netto had been disagreeable the whole day—at least for the parts he had been awake for. Unfortunately, Rockman couldn't blame him though. Netto had not slept well the night before, his heart refusing to settle for almost the entire night. Thankfully, it had not grown into a full-fledged attack, but still the stress of knowing the diagnosis was surely taking its toll.

Rockman looked up as the door opened and Yuuichiro came in, holding a weary Haruka in his arms.

The scientist looked at the small blue navi.

"Is everything okay, Rockman?" he asked, his voice clearly tired. Rockman was pretty sure that the man had not slept at all the night before; and if he had, it was a very limited amount of sleep.

"Yeah. Of course," Rockman said, forcing a reassuring smile.

Yuuichiro helped Haruka into a chair and then collapsed in the one next to it.

"I thought I heard you yelling," he said, taking of his glasses and attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Rockman rolled his eyes. "It was for something that doesn't really matter," he answered.

"You can't nag me anymore about it then," Netto called out from under his blankets.

"Netto-kun! I thought you were asleep!" Rockman said surprised.

Netto slowly pulled the blankets down and turned his head toward the navi. "I wish," he mumbled. Rockman smiled sadly.

Haruka rose from her seat and went to Netto's side, gently lifting his hand into hers.

"How are you feeling, honey?" she quietly asked.

"Tired. Are you okay?" Netto returned, forcing a smile to comfort her.

"I'm okay," she said, also forcing a weary smile.

"So you're finally awake."

The four in the room looked up as Enzan entered the room.

"Did you come when I was asleep?" Netto asked tiredly.

Enzan nodded. "A couple of times yesterday and once today," he said, and then commented, "You don't look so good."

Netto laughed gently. "Neither do you. Looks like you pulled an all-nighter."

Enzan shook his head and pulled up a chair next to Netto's bed.

"I had a lot on my mind," he simply said.

Netto closed his eyes and looked as if he would fall asleep again. "Me too," he said quietly.

Enzan took a deep breathe. "Did they find out what is wrong?" he braved to ask.

Netto did not move.

"Netto?" Enzan asked, not sure if he had fallen asleep.

"I'm awake," Netto responded.

"Do you know the diagnosis?" he asked quietly again.

This time Netto nodded.

"And?" Enzan hesitantly pushed.

"I have a heart disease called HBD." Netto put bluntly. Rockman eyes clouded while Haruka grip on her son's hand tightened. Yuuichiro stood up and grasped his wife's shoulder reassuringly.

"How long…will you be here?" Enzan asked.

"They've given me several months," Netto answered, his eyes still closed. Enzan thought his face was strangely calm and peaceful, but the way Netto had answered tied Enzan's stomach in knots.

"And then everything will be back to…normal?" he asked, fear creeping into his chest.

Netto opened his eyes and looked into Enzan's clear blue ones. The gaze sent chills down Enzan's spine.

"No, Enzan. It won't be normal. At least, I don't think. You'd have to tell me really 'cause the doctors say most likely I won't be here."

Enzan couldn't keep from staring into Netto's unreadable brown eyes. He was barely aware when soft sobs started to come from Haruka as Yuuichiro embraced her into his comforting arms.

Netto broke his gaze from Enzan and looked at his mother.

"Mama…" he whispered.

"Is there…no treatment?" Enzan asked quietly, redirecting Netto's attention from his mother back to him. He really did not want the answer, but he felt he had to keep searching for any glimmer of hope.

"No," Netto answered.

Enzan's fists tightened in his lap and his eyes became unwillingly wet.

"Enzan, it'll be okay," Netto reassured him.

"YOU CAN'T DIE!" Enzan yelled as he erupted from his chair.

Everyone but Netto's eyes jumped to the heart monitor as the beep skipped, but it returned to normal before anyone could see the irregular pattern displayed on the screen. Their gaze then fell back to Enzan, who looked like he was either about to kill someone or cry—maybe both.

"You can't die," he repeated, sinking back in his chair, realizing that he had just expressed more emotion than he ever had—expect maybe the time when he cried in front of Netto because he had thought he had lost Blues.

"You can't die," he repeated again in an inaudible whisper.

"Enzan, it'll be just fine," Netto said comfortingly, moving his hand to clasp the other's shoulder.

"But Netto…" Enzan began, finally looking back up at his friend.

"Hey, it's me. I'm always in trouble and we always get through it, don't we?" Netto smiled at him reassuringly. Enzan was pretty sure he could see a glimpse of Netto's all-too-common cocky look in that smile. making Enzan sigh. Either Netto was being overly optimistic, in complete denial, clueless to the real situation at hand, or just openly lying to provide some sort of comfort for him. Of course, it could have easily been all of the above—all were characteristic of the boy who had unexpectedly grown to be one of his best friends.

"It'll be okay," Netto said once again, shaking Enzan's shoulder reassuringly. Rockman had to smile at his brother: he was always more worried about others then about himself.

Enzan lifted Netto's hand off him, more out of habit than from wanting the hand to not touch him. He actually slightly wanted it there to tell him Netto was still there. "It better be, Netto," he said, "for your sake."

Netto picked up on the threat and smiled, though he had to wonder exactly how Enzan would exact revenge on a dead person.

"So, have you told Sakurai yet?" Enzan asked for a slight change of subject.

Netto laughed weakly and uncomfortably before pulling the blankets up as if he was going to go back to sleep.

Enzan shook his head. "Then when are you going to tell her?"

"Enzan, I'm really tired," Netto said, dodging the question.

"Netto," Enzan said crossly under his breathe, frustrated that Netto was avoiding answering, even if his excuse was legitimate.

"Why don't you call him," Rockman suggested. He smiled innocently when Netto glared death threats at him.

"Why?" Enzan asked, raising an eyebrow at the brunette, who had now pulled his blanket over his head, pretending to have fallen asleep. Both his parents also looked at Netto, confused as to what was going on.

"He cut the link so no one could call him," Rockman explained, glowering at his hiding netop, who visibly tensed up under the blankets. He didn't need to see Rockman to know he was being scolded both in voice and body language.

"Netto," Enzan sighed.

"I was trying to sleep," Netto mumbled as an excuse from the protection of his hiding place.

"She has find out eventually, Netto," Yuuichiro put in, realizing that this conversation was becoming much like the one that had taken place the day before yesterday.

"I know," came the muffled answer. "I just want to time it right."

Rockman, Yuuichiro and Enzan all looked at each other.

"And the right time is…?" Rockman asked.

Netto cautiously emerged from his refuge. "When I don't feel and look like crap," he answered before continuing to explain: "The first day would have been okay, except we didn't know what was wrong. I was asleep all of yesterday. And today I hurt and am still tired because I didn't sleep last night." Netto then forced himself up into a sitting position, the first time he had adopted such a position that day. "Maybe I'll tell her tomorrow," he said once he was sitting up. "I'm starting to feel better and if I sleep well, everything should be near normal." His eyes then seemed to become downcast. "I just don't want her to worry more than she has to," he said quietly.

"You can't stop people from worrying, Netto," Yuuichiro said softly.

"I know, but I can try," Netto said without looking up. There was a slight pause before Netto whispered again, determination flowing into his voice and the exhausted haze in his brown eyes seeming to burn away from the sudden passion: "I can as sure as heck try."

Yuuichiro, Haruka, Enzan, and Blues looked at Netto questioningly. Rockman, however, knew exactly what Netto had meant: right now, there were so many unknowns and things beyond their control—but that didn't mean they would give up. They knew that this time they might _not_ win, but that meant in no way that they could not at least try. If they gave up now, there would be no chance at all for winning. Absolutely none at all.


	12. Meiru's Discovery

Sorry _mina_ for the long update! This chapter has turned out to be a lot harder to write than I thought--it just kept coming out wrong. I think I've got it this time though. And of course, when I did FINALLY did get it done, the internet just HAD to be down. But now it's here for you all to read, enjoy and review!!!

We are sticking with Netto's timeline, since the whole secret-from-Meiru has been drug out long enough. -

And yet again: I do not own Rockman. Isn't this really a given already?

And one last note: For those of you who have reviewed THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I've never gotten this far in a story and it's because of you! (If you've notice, all my other stories are one-shots. I'm Serenade, Lord of the One-shots! Okay, not really, but it certainly seems that way sometimes).

_Chapter 12: Meiru's Discovery_

"Don't worry, Meiru-chan. I'm sure he's fine." Yaito looked sympathetically at her friend across the table. Her frown deepened when Meiru did not answer but instead continued to stare blankly down at her ice cream. She had been in a depressed mood ever since Netto's name had been called in class that morning and again there had been no response for the fourth day in a row. "Meiru-chan?" Yairo addressed again, hoping for any response. She wanted so much to help her friend, but when it came to Netto, not even ice cream could raise her spirits.

"Yaito is right, Meiru-chan," Roll said as she attempted to pick up on the efforts to comfort her netop. "Netto should be fine."

Meiru sighed. "I…just feel that something is terribly wrong. I can't…I can't put my finger on it."

"Meiru-chan…" Roll whispered.

"Hey, guys," a familiar voice said. Meiru continued to stare at her desert as Yaito looked up and saw Tohru, Dekao, and Dingo.

"What's wrong, Meiru-chan?" Dekao asked worriedly.

"I'm worried about Netto," she answered quietly without looking up.

"Oh," Dekao and Tohru frowned.

"What's wrong with Netto?" Dingo asked.

"He fainted a few days ago at school and hasn't come back to school since. We visited him and he seemed fine—the doctors had said he was just dehydrated—but…" Yaito's voice trailed off as she saw Meiru's eyes begin to water.

"Don't cry, Meiru-chan!" Dekao cried as he moved to comfort his crush.

Meiru wiped the tears from her eyes and gave a weak smile. "Thanks _mina_ for trying to comfort me."

"Are you okay, Sakurai?" someone else asked.

Everyone turned around in surprise to see the familiar white-haired net battler. "Enzan!"

"What do you want!?" Yaito demanded angrily.

"I was just on my way to the…" Enzan began before stoppings himself, realizing that maybe this may not be the best way a certain fact that a certain brunette had apparently _still_ not told should be revealed. "…to take care of some business," he finished.

Yaito eyed him suspiciously.

"Are you sure you are okay, Sakurai?" he asked again, ignoring the nosey blonde.

Meiru shook her head sadly. "Netto…I can't get a hold of him. I…I think something happened…" Her voice was barely audible and tears threatened to spill again. Suddenly her head snapped up to look at the familiar cerulean eyes. Why hadn't she thought of it before!? Enzan might know! She grabbed his hands, startling the teen. "Do you know where he is?!" she sobbed.

Enzan had known it was coming. Furthermore, he knew he could keep secrets, even if he did not agree to their keeping, but lying…well, lying was something he could not do.

"Yes," he slowly answered.

"Where is he!?" everyone burst out.

Enzan sighed. "I don't want any of you to worry. Especially you, Sakurai. The only reason he hasn't told any of you is because he doesn't want any of you to worry about him."

"Some good that did!" Yaito said angrily. "Meiru-chan has been worried sick!"

Tohru was slightly calmer in his address to the net savior: "Is Netto-kun alright?" he asked.

Enzan was quiet: he had no idea how to answer. After all, Netto was _not_ okay. But then again, he didn't believe it himself, so he said "I think so" without the guilt of saying a lie.

"Is…he in the hospital?" Meiru asked, tears streaming down her face.

Enzan nodded regrettfully. "I'm going to see him now. You guys can come if you promise not to overreact. I think he's more worried about you than he is about himself." Everyone nodded, indicating their promise. Meiru even wiped away her tears and set a determined look on her face.

"So what's wrong, Enzan? And how come you know about Netto?" Dingo asked.

"The doctors say he has a heart disease. And I know because I was there when he collapsed again. Meijinn and I were the ones who took him to the hospital," Enzan informed the group. Meiru bit her lips to keep from crying again. Heart disease? That was not good—at all.

"Enzan? How is Rockman taking it?" Roll asked.

Enzan looked at the projected pink navi. "Surprisingly well," he responded. "He's been trained to be Netto's nurse navi. The way Hikari-hakase put it, the nurses didn't think Netto would let anyone else take care of him," Enzan added. "Speaking of which, Blues," Enzan called to his navi, "try and call Netto and tell him we're coming and that his friends are with me."

"_Hai_, Enzan-sama," Blues answered. "But what if he doesn't answer?"

"Then I'll kill him when we get there," Enzan answered.

Blues slightly sweat-dropped before giving another "_hai_" and disappeared into the PET to make the call. A few moments later he reappeared. "Enzan-sama, I was able to get a hold of Netto-san and Rockman. They know we're coming."

"_Arigato_, Blues. By the way, how is he?" Enzan asked.

"He seemed fine to me. At any rate, I think he's well enough to be driving Rockman up the wall; Rockman seemed rather frustrated," Blues responded.

Enzan smiled. "Thanks, Blues."

----------------

The bed was empty when they reached Netto's room, causing everyone's heart to tighten and speed up. Where was Netto!? Did something happen? Was he okay?

"Wow, you guys got here faster than I thought."

Everyone spun around and breathed a sigh of relief. "Netto!"

Netto smiled. "What? Did you think I died?" he asked jokingly.

"No, we just…we didn't know what happened," Dekao stated defensively.

Netto rolled his eyes. "I'm just fine, guys. Yeesh. It's a hospital bed, not a death bed." He choose to ignore the "not funny" glare Enzan was giving him as well as the annoying feeling that his brother was also directing a similar expression his way. "Just fi…" he started to repeat before he was cut off.

"HIKARI NETTO!" Netto flinched as a nurse came up menacingly behind him.

"Um…hi, Junko-san," Netto greeted sheepishly.

"Don't 'hi' me, young man! Where were you!? You know you are not to leave your room!" the nurse scolded.

"Told you," Rockman whispered, but unfortunately, the angry nurse heard and turned on the poor blue navi.

"Rockman! If your charge EVER disobeys his schedule, you are to tell us IMMEDIATELY!" the nurse raged.

Rockman bowed his head. "_Gomennasai,_ Junko-sa..."

"It's not his fault!" Netto interjected defensively.

"Netto-kun, it…"

"Quit, Rock. It's not your fault. _I'm_ the one who snuck out, despite your nagging," Netto told his navi. Rockman had to roll his eyes at Netto's word choice: "nagging" wasn't really quiet the right term here.

The nurse glared back at the patient in question. "Stay here, Hikari-kun. We don't want anything happening." Now it was Netto's turn to roll his eyes, but he agreed nevertheless and the nurse left after giving one more look of disapproval.

"Netto! Are you trying to kill yourself?" Enzan raised his voice angrily.

"What's wrong with you guys!? I just went for a walk around the hospital. With the way you guys are acting, you'd think I had gone to fight WWW, Gospel, Nebula, Duo, Neo WWW, Nebula Grey, and the Gregzar all at once!" He paused, and then added as a side note, "though that'd probably be more entertaining."

"NETTO!" everyone scolded at once.

"What!? It would be!" Netto retorted. "Besides, if it truly was dangerous, Rockman would have called the nurses."

"Not if your PET was turned off," Enzan pointed out.

"Actually, not true. Rockman has a direct link to the nurse station that is not affected by the status of my PET. And not only that, I turned on my PET first thing this morning," Netto informed his very upset friends.

"So why didn't you call?" Tohru asked Rockman.

The small navi crossed his arms. "Even though I prefer he'd stay here, I don't think a walk would hurt him. Even _I_ think the nurses are slightly overreacting."

"The nurses know what they are doing, Rockman," Roll pointed out.

"But they don't know Netto-kun like I do," Rockman returned. Everyone sighed knowing they could not argue with that. Rockman smiled and added, "Don't worry. I'll take good care of him!" Everyone returned the smile. Of course he would—when had he not? "Speaking of which," the navi said as he turned to his netop, "I think we upset the nurses enough, so get back in bed."

"Oh yea," Netto sighed sarcastically, but did as he was told.

"Well, at least you're feeling better," Enzan said as Netto climbed into the bed.

"Yeup!" Netto smiled. "I had a good nights rest! And how are you guys?" Netto asked as he turned to his other friends.

"After you nearly worried Meiru-chan to death, why would you care?" Yaito charged angrily.

Netto frowned. "I just didn't want you to worry…" he said.

For awhile, Meiru looked like she was about to explode and, inevitably, she did as she burst out angrily, "BY TURNING OFF YOUR PET, HIKARI NETTO! DON'T YOU KNOW ME BETTER THAN THAT!?" Now that she knew Netto was "okay", she could stop worrying and start yelling. Netto shrunk back in fear as Enzan attempted to hold the angry girl back.

"I'm sorry, Meiru-chan. I just…I didn't…" the helpless brunette stuttered, unable to utter out an excuse. She claimed he didn't know her, but he knew her well enough that he knew there was no reasoning with her like this.

Rockman also noted the same thing as he turned to Roll and whispered, "Actually, it's because he knows her that he turned off his PET."

Roll nodded, but said, "But he still shouldn't have done that to her."

"_I_ know that," Rockman said, but added in his brother's defense, "but Netto-kun _was_ really sick up until today, which would have worried Meiru-chan even more."

Roll looked at Rockman curiously as he turned back to watch his netop to make sure a certain redhead didn't kill him. As she did, a thought struck her that caused her fear for her netop: Was everything really okay? Or was this all an illusion? Was Netto really sick? I mean, _really_ sick? A heart disease was never good, but was it really _that_ bad? Roll studied Rockman. Yes, it was. Rockman was appearing to be happy and optimistic, but inside, she could tell he was worried and hurting—_really_ hurting. Much more then when Netto had been in any other previous danger, even those dangers that had been life threatening. Much more. This illusion of well-being was just that: an illusion.

And if Meiru had had a link like Netto and Rockman, then maybe she would have stopped trying to strangle his best friend out of supposed relief.


	13. The Threat

Sorry for the long update! I'm not even going to try and make up excuses. But I would like to thank all of those who have reviewed for me and reminded me "Hey! Lightman's still there!" My hats off to you! And special thanks goes to Fire-chan for helping me on this chapter! Especially Jester.exe!

And as always, I do NOT own Rockman.exe. Capcom does.

_Chapter 13: The Threat_

How the heck had he ended up in _this _mess? He had woken up like he normally had for the past month or so: ignoring his clock program and doing his best to do the same to his brother. Of course, Rockman was not so easily disabled and before long, Lightman could only relent to his brother's nagging.

From there, they had headed to Sci-Lab just as they had promised their father. Yuuichiro had teased them once they arrived there, especially Lightman, with a surprise. What the surprise was beyond both Lightman and Rockman, but right now neither of them even remembered that there was a surprise. It would be nice if the gift could help them in their current predicament.

How long had this been going on? Surely Enzan and everyone else had not been so careful to keep the troubles of the net to even escape Rockman's notice. Had there been trouble since Myst and Mountainman had made their bold appearance over a year ago? As much as he hated to admit it, he figured they had. After all, they had kept secrets from him even when he had been well. He was still bitter about the whole dimensional area generator secret.

And that did explain Luckman a few days ago.

Man he was going to kill Enzan and anyone else who had left him out of the loop.

After he was done here.

"This is truly sad," Jester.exe taunted as she landed gracefully on a large ball. Rockman and Lightman both grimaced. A battle chip would be _really _helpful right about now. "Did Blues-kun get so bored that he had to send in you two newbies?" Jester continued sweetly. "Too bad I'll have to delete you both. Otherwise I'd let you be my messengers to tell Blues-kun how much I miss him." She smiled. "Oh well, Razor Card!"

A swarm a cards made their way. Rockman and Lightman jumped to opposite sides just as the first of the cards hit.

"Bravo," Jester said as she clapped. "You really aren't that bad."

"I don't want praise from you," Lightman spat.

"Oh. Are you angry? I'm sorry." Her evil smiled returned. "How about I do some magic to entertain you?"

"Lightman! Watch out!" Rockman yelled, but it was too late. Before Lightman had a chance a cage enveloped him.

Jester squealed as she pulled out a large sheet. "Now watch me make him disappear!"

"LIGHTMAN!" Rockman yelled out.

"Rockman!"

"Papa!?" Rockman glanced as a window popped up next to him.

"Use this." Yuuichiro said as a swirl of data began around his wrist before solidifying into a simple silver band.

"What is…?"

"It's a battle chip band. All of Netto's chips are in that. I have one for him too but you have to release him first!"

"Right!" Rockman nodded as he held out his arm. "Samurai Sword!" Rockman called as he jumped and brought the sword down on Jester just before she placed the sheet on the cage.

"MEANIE!" Jester squealed, holding her arm where Rockman had cut her.

"Samurai Sword!?" Lightman said in confusion as the cage around him disappeared. He looked down as a swirl of data started around his wrist shortly revealing the same band. "What?"

"It's battle chip data," Rockman explained quickly.

Lightman smiled broadly. "Awesome!" He turned to Jester. "Now we get serious!"

"Oh: but I like play time." She held up a handful of her razor sharp cards. "Oh well, Razor cards!"

Again Rockman and Lightman jumped out of the way.

"Machine Gun!" Lightman called as the data activated.

"Fire Lion!" Jester called as a huge lion-shaped flame formed around Jester and headed toward the twins.

"Bubble Shot!" Rockman cried out as he shot out the attack. The water attack hit the fire one head out, canceling out the fire lion and giving free range for Lightman's machine gun.

"Jester.exe logging out."

Lightman and Rockman turned to a screen where they could see their father. "Is this the surprise, Papa?" Lightman asked excitedly.

The scientist laughed. "Yes, it is."

"_Sugoi! _Thank you, Papa!" Lightman cheered.

"Rockman nodded in agreement. "Yes, thank you, Papa."

"Rockman, the Beast-Out chips are included in your band." Yuuichiro explained.

"How come I don't get them?" Lightman asked pouting.

"Because Rockman had to, in a sense, evolve to use them," Yuuichiro answered.

"Can Lightman style change then?" Rockman asked.

Yuuichiro nodded. "Yes. He'll be able to activate it through his band."

"Really?" Lightman asked excitedly. "_Yatta!_" Yuuichiro and Rockman both chuckled.

"But…" Lightman said suddenly becoming serious. Rockman and Yuuichiro stopped laughing and looked at the light blue navi.

"But what?" Rockman asked.

"Was that Myst?"

Silence prevailed as Rockman and Lightman both looked at their father. Yuuichiro frowned.

"Papa," the twins said in pushed in unison.

"Yes," he answered.

"And Luckman too?" Rockman asked. Yuuichiro nodded. "For how long?"

"Well, you know when they made their appearance. They've been here off and on. We think something else has been at their focus since their attacks have been so sparse," Yuuichiro explained.

"And you didn't tell us?!" Lightman yelled.

"It's pretty obvious why they didn't," Rockman said. Lightman only pouted in response. "But we can fight now."

"We sure can!" Lightman agreed as he pumped his fist.

Yuuichiro smiled. He feared for them, but when had he not? At least his gift would help in allowing them to come home safely.

Besides, he knew all too well that there was no stopping them.


	14. Myst

Yeah! Quick update! Anyway, this is continuing on from Chapter 13. Enjoy!

Does anyone know what will happen if I forget to disclaim ownership on a chapter? Well just to make sure I'm not zapped by lightening, I DON"T OWN ROCKMAN!

_Chapter 14: Myst_

"_Oi!_ Lightman!"

Lightman turned to see who had called out his name.

"Hey, Tomahawkman," Lightman greeted.

"Watcha' doin'?" Tomahawkman asked as he made it the last few feet to where Lightman was sitting along streets of Internet City.

The light blue navi shrugged.

"Where's Rockman?"

Lightman made a face. "Roll came by _way_ early this morning and dragged him off somewhere before either of us could say anything."

Tomahawkman let out a laugh.

"It's not that funny," Lightman said pouting. "Anyway, what are you doing?"

Tomahawkman answered: "Dingo asked me to get a few things. Seeing as you're bored without Rockman, want to come?"

Lightman smiled gratefully. "Sure. Thanks," he said as he hopped off the box he had been sitting on.

"Sooo," Tomahawkman began once they had started on their way to the first of several shops on his list, "What'd Roll want anyway?"

"How should I know?" Lightman said. "She just came and dragged off Rockman without a word."

Tomahawkman smirked. "Maybe she's jealous."

"Jealous? Of what?" Lightman asked.

Tomahawkman smiled and shrugged. "You, obviously. It's no secret she likes him and she can't be too happy about him spending all his time with you."

"What?" Lightman asked, not quite getting. Tomahawkman laughed. "What's so funny!?" Lightman said beginning to fume.

Tomahawkman shook his head. "You're clueless, Lightman. Completely clueless. Anyway, we're at the first shop, so let go in. Maybe later we can check out the coliseum."

Lightman grinned. "Sure. Want to netbattle?"

Tomahawkman looked at Lightman in surprise and then smiled. "Sure thing."

-------------------

The coliseum rang with excitement as the Kero's voice rang over the stadium:

"Next up is favorite, DINGO AND TOMAHAWKMAN! And on the other side is first-timer a solo navi, LIGHTMAN!"

Both Tomahawkman and Lightman took their spots on the field. Dingo looked doubtful as the window with his face appeared.

"Are you sure about this? He's Rockman's same model and Rockman's strong but even he without chips…" Dingo muttered to his navi.

Lightman waved it off. "Don't underestimate me! Besides, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve!" he said as he smiled confidently.

"Just don't make it a boring ba…" Tomahawkman began before being cut off by an explosion near the center of Internet City.

"What the heck was that!?" the navi friends asked at once. Lightman took off at a run toward where the smoke bellowed.

"LIGHTMAN!" Tomahawkman called.

"I'm going to check it out!" he called back without slowing down. "Are you coming?"

Tomahawkman looked at his operator.

"Let's go," Dingo instructed.

-------------------

"Run, you pathetic navis!" the dark navi laughed as he walked through the streets sending out rays of black energy. "Know the terror that is Myst!"

"It's quite all very entertaining, isn't it Jester?" Luckman asked as he walked behind the black navi.

Jester nodded. "Oh you know how much I like to play." They broke out laughing.

"Shut up, you two," the first snapped.

Both immediately stopped laughing. "Yes, Dark-_sama_!" they answered in strict unison.

Dark snarled as he turned back around to continue his path of destruction. Jester and Luckman dared to glance at each other, but that was it.

"HEY YOU!"

The threesome whirled around.

"Oh bother. It's one of the annoying twins," Luckman said, his tail giving a whip through the air.

"Oh, is Blues-_kun_ here?" Jester asked excitedly. Everyone face faulted.

"No," Lightman answered angrily. "Now you idiots better leave!"

Dark smirked. "Or what?"

Lightman held up his buster. Tohawkman followed suit with his tomahawk.

"Or I'll make you," Lightman answered.

Dark let out a evil laugh.

"You? Don't make me laugh! Do you know who we are?"

"Those idiots, Myst!" Lightman returned angrily.

Tomahawkman looked at Lightman confused. "Myst? Who's that?"

"The next to rule the world, sweetie," Jester answered in her sweet voice.

"We've already have the Eon Net and the Undernet. All's that left is this one. And if this Network falls, so do the humans," Luckman continued, his red eyes flashing with pleasure.

Dark nodded in agreement.

"The Undernet!?" Lightman cried, finding it hard for such a place to fall under domination. "And what's the Eon Net?"

"None of your business, nosey," Luckman snapped.

Dark chuckled. "Stand down, Luckman. He interests me." The black-caped navi walked up to the small blue one. "What's your name? And how do you know of Myst? So far only the pesky net savers know us."

"He knows Blues," Luckman put in. "He and an…hey!"

"He knows Blues!?" Jester squealed excitedly as she jumped onto Luckman.

"Get off Jester!" Luckman yelled as he swiped at her with his claws. Luckman, Tomahawkman, and Dark all sweat dropped.

"Anyway…" Dark continued, "You're name." The light blue navi opened his mouth to give a smart-aleck response.

"LIGHTMAN!"

"Rockman!" Lightman called back in suprise as his brother ran up to him.

"What's go…"

"ROCKMAN!" Dark screeched.

"Dark-_sama_?" the other Myst members asked in confusion.

Dark just broke out into a loud evil laughter.

"Dark-_sama_?" Luckman asked again. "You know this navi?"

Dark stopped laughing and smiled evilly at Rockman. "He's on our list." Jester and Luckman both gasped.

"List?" Lightman asked as he glared at the taller dark navi.

"Yes," he said, without removing his gaze from Rockman. "We have a list of those to eliminate. Those on the list pose a threat to us. Echo, Blues, Searchman, Forte, and…" his grin widened, "Rockman."

"I WON"T LET YOU!" Lightman yelled. He let out a blast from his buster.

Dark and his lackeys jumped out of the way. Dark chuckled.

"Too slow, sweetheart," Jester said blowing him a kiss. Lightman growled.

"Rockman," Dark began, now a safe distance from a direct attack, "we could kill you now but I think I'll wait. You are not the threat you were to the others who foolishly thought they could take this world. In fact, you are of little threat now."

"What do you mean?" Tomahawkman asked angrily.

Dark smiled. "What is Rockman with out his precious operator?"

Everyone glared at the three evil navis, Rockman's fist tightening.

"You know," Dark continued, "we tried to make it quick for you. But your idiot operator just had to be stubborn and live through the hospital fire." He broke out into a frenzied laugh.

"YOU!" Rockman angrily leapt at Dark at full speed, pulling out a long sword in the process.

"Good bye, Rockman!" Dark said as he and his followers logged out. "Beware. Myst is shifting focuses now. We're done with play time!"

Tomahawkman, Lightman, and Rockman could only stand and stare to where they had been.

-------------------

Rockman and Lightman finally returned to their homepage, the sun having long gone down.

"Rockman…" Lightman began.

"Myst… That fire…" Rockman whispered.

Lightman frowned before walking up to his brother and hitting him in the head. "Hello! I'm right here! And I didn't die in that fire. No one did."

"I know, but you almost did," Rockman said. "And if you had, then you _wouldn't_ be here."

Lightman rolled his eyes. "But I _am_ here. So don't worry about it. We'll get our revenge and we'll do it together, like we always do!"

Rockman smiled. "You're right."

"Of course I am!" Lightman boasted.

"That's a first," Rockman joked back.

"Hey!" he said as he jumped on his twin and pulled him into a headlock.

"Warriors, I have found you."

Rockman and Lightman stopped rough-housing and looked up. A furry white creature with a small yellow symbol on its head stood before them. Lightman couldn't figure if it was more like a cat or a rabbit.

"Found…us?" Rockman questioned.

The creature nodded. "Yes. The Twin Warriors of Legend. The ones destined to restore Light to the Eon Net."


	15. Enzan's Gift

Last chapter seemed to cause some confusion about the creature at the end. Apparently my ability to describe is not the best and many have asked "Is it a cabbit?" or along the lines there of. To admit, I have no idea what a cabbit looks like so I can not say it does _not_ look like a cabbit, but I can not say it does either. I will probably post a picture of the creature somewhere later. Once it's up, I'll give you the link. Until then a (hopefully) better description will suffice. The creature is about the size of a cat and is slender like a cat. It has a very fluffy, bushy tail and its ears are long like a rabbit (though not floppy). Hopefully this is better.

With that said, I would like to thank those who have given their feedback on the last two chapters: Fire-chan, Kawazoe Kazuma, Silvera, Giosseppe, and Marshmellow Dragon. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Especially those who reviewed both chapters.

And now for Chapter 15 (!). And of course you know I'm going to leave you hanging 'cause we're going back to when Netto is still alive!

Disclaimer: Capcom and those guys own Rockman.exe. I don't. I'm just one of the crazy fanfic writers doing her best to keep Rockman.exe alive. LONG LIVE .EXE!

_Chapter 15: Enzan's Gift_

"Ijuin-san!"

Enzan looked further down the hall of the hospital and saw an older man approaching him. His hair had long since gone white and was very evidently thinning. Bright and lively eyes shone through his glasses and his wrinkles did nothing to take away from his friendly smile.

"Dr. Ueda," greeted Enzan to the aging man.

"Here to see your friend?" Dr. Ueda asked. Enzan nodded. "How is he?"

"He's doing pretty good," Enzan answered, "but I'm sure you're here to see for yourself."

The man nodded. "Indeed. I tend to try to meet my patients," he chuckled lightheartedly. Enzan gave a small smile.

"Just make sure you don't tell him _I _hired you, okay?" Enzan said.

The doctor chuckled and nodded. "Sure thing. Will you be by my house anytime today?"

Enzan shook his head. "Afraid not. I have plenty of things I need to get done. Unless you need me?"

Ueda shook his head. "No. Just wondering. I've begun the research. I've also hired a couple of assistants."

Enzan nodded. "Good. Just keep me posted. And if you need anything else, don't be afraid to ask. Anything you need for your research will be given you."

"Thanks," the doctor said. "I'll do my best to do my part. Have a good day, Ijuin-san." He shook hands with the young VP and Enzan walked out of the door.

Ueda smiled. "Well, I guess it's time to go see this friend of the IPC VP."

--------------------------

The brunette was typing away on a laptop when Ueda walked into the room. Whatever he was doing so enthralled the teen that he did not notice the old man enter. Being an expert on conditions such as this boy's, the doctor knew better than to speak and risk startling the boy. But thankfully he was saved the wait until the boy noticed him.

"Netto-kun?" a voice emanated from the computer.

"Yeah, Rockman?" the boy said without slowing down.

"Someone's here," Rockman answered.

Netto stopped typing and look up, laughing sheepishly. "Oh, hey. How long have you been there?"

Ueda chuckled. "About 10 seconds. Your navi's quick."

Netto laughed as well. "Yeah, he is. But who are you?"

"Netto-kun…" Rockman's voice reprimanded slightly.

Ueda chuckled again. "It's alright. I'm Doctor Ueda and I'll be your primary doctor from now on."

Netto smiled. "Nice to meet. Hikari Netto, but you probably already knew that."

Ueda laughed. "Indeed, but formal introductions are still nice."

Rockman's hologram appeared above the laptop on Netto's lap. "You said your name is Doctor Ueda?" Rockman asked.

"Yep. That's me," Ueda said, smiling broadly.

"Is something up, Rockman?" Netto asked his navi.

Rockman shook his head. "No, nothing."

Netto frowned but let it alone.

"So what are you working on?" the doctor asked casually. Rockman gave a light groan and Ueda caught a small glimpse of an eye roll.

Netto, ignoring his navi, answered, "A birthday present."

"Really?" Ueda asked. "What is it?"

Netto grinned mischievously. "A little program that will sing 'Happy Birthday' when Meijin-san turns on his computers."

"Which, by the way, can't be turned off until he enters the appropriate code," Rockman expanded. "Oh, and little model cars and wild animals run across the screen too." Rockman paused thoughtfully and then said, "But at least it's not a fake virus. You nearly gave Enzan a heart-attacked when it was his birthday."

Netto laughed at the memory. "And the best part was he thought I didn't know when his birthday was. But, yeah, ticking him off is _not_ a good idea."

"And yet you do it anyway," Rockman put in, crossing his arms.

"I can outrun him…most of the time," Netto said.

Ueda laughed. "Well remind me to never tell you my birthday."

Netto and Rockman both returned the laugh.

"So your navi's name is Rockman?" Ueda asked.

Netto smiled proudly. "Yeup."

Ueda chuckled at the boy's energy and pulled out his own PET. "This is my navi and partner, Tare."

"Nice to meet you," Tare said as his hologram joined the circle. He was a white and silver navi. He was nothing fancy in design, wearing plain armor and a blue visor over his eyes, but one could tell he was still a rather advanced Navi.

"Tare, why don't you go talk with Rockman while I talk with Netto-kun," the old man said to the white navi. "Check out what programs he's using to monitor Netto-kun's health and give him anything else that could help him," Ueda instructed. Tare bowed and disappeared. Rockman also disappeared as he returned to his PET to greet the doctor navi.

"Well, Netto-kun, let's get to know each other since we'll probably be spending quite a bit of time together. I'm afraid I may be asking a lot of repeat questions but just help me get through it and hopefully we can have a good time together."

"Well, since you asked me so nicely…" Netto teased, quickly warming up to the new doctor.

The doctor gave a friendly smile. "Well to begin, tell me about yourself. You're a netbattler, aren't you?"

The question caught Netto off guard. "Yeah, but why? Are you going to start letting me netbattle? "

Ueda laughed and shrugged. "Unfortunately, no. It's just that I try to get to know those I work with and not just their medical problems. Is okay with you?"

"Sure! There's no problem here with that," Netto answered cheerfully, happy to be talking about something else _besides_ HBD.

And so for the next several hours, Ueda and Netto talked about everything from netbattling, school, family, friends, work as a Net Saver, Ueda's work and Netto's current predicament. The only thing they did not talk about was who had sent Ueda, the leading expert in heart diseases, including HBD, to Netto.

It ended up being a pretty good day for the normally bored Netto.

--------------------------

Doctor Ueda sat his desk, the only light in the dark room being the lamp on his desk. Before him, caught in the direct light of the lamp, were papers and books on HBD as well as Netto's medical history. He removed his glasses and squeezed the bridge of his nose as he shut his eyes.

"Hiro-sama?" Tare asked, addressing the man by his first name.

"Doesn't the name 'Hikari' sound familiar to you?" he asked.

Tare frowned. "Slightly. Why?"

Ueda frowned as well. "Never mind," he said as he placed his glasses back on his face and picked up Netto's medical papers. He stared at one line in particular: "Family history of HBD. Brother died December 12…"

Hikari: that name, it was so familiar. And not only that, but the timing was right and from what he had learned from Netto had told him, it just all seemed to fit.

But it couldn't be…

Doctor Hiro Ueda sighed as he set the papers back on the desk and leaned back in his chair. All he could do was sit and wonder as he remembered a young one he had treated so many years ago.

Now he wondered about Rockman as well.


	16. The Eon Net

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! And special thanks to MarshmallowDragon who actually drew a picture for the story! It's amazing and is now featured as my new desktop picture. For everyone who wants to go check it out (and you should), check out my profile for the link (since, for some reason, I can't do it here).

Enjoy the picture and Chapter 16!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rockman.

_Chapter 16: The Eon Net_

"The Twin Warriors of…WHAT!?" Lightman yelled at the creature.

"Of Legend," the creature answered un-phased. "It has been told in Eonian legend that two twin warriors from a close but different realm will restore Light to our fallen world."

"And we believe you two are those foretold warriors," a similar voice said from behind. Rockman and Lightman both whirled around to face a creature identical to the first except that this one was black.

"What the…!?" Lightman yelled out.

"Warriors," the creatures said in unison, "we are Rei and Beam, Sun and Moon Maidens of the Eon World, sent by her Highness Echo of the Eon Net, to ask your help."

"Without you, all is lost, for our world and yours," Rei, the white maiden, finished.

Rockman and Lightman looked at each other, somewhat doubtful. Sure they had save the world how many times? But how could they possibly be "prophesied" heroes?

"How can you be so sure we are the ones?" Rockman asked.

"We just do," Beam answered. "We have been watching for these warriors for a long time. You _are_ the ones."

"But we know nothing about the Eon Net," Lightman said. "And now that I think about it, what did that Dark guy mean when he said they had taken the Undernet?"

"Exactly what he said," Beam answered. "The Undernet is under Mysts reign as is the Eon Net. Fortunately, most of Echo's court as well as some others have escaped and are residing in a hidden area of your net."

"Hmm," Lightman said crossing his arms and thinking it over.

Rei laughed lightly. "We understand it is a lot to take in as you know nothing of the Eon Net and its history."

"But Echo and the Children of Eon will explain it," Beam added.

And with that, a bright flash filled the area, leaving the space empty when the light subsided.

---------------------

The first reaction of the twins, particularly Lightman, was that they were in the real world. They were on a street lined with small cottages, each nicely kept and boasting beautiful gardens. In the distance, a magnificent castle could be seen. It was a scene straight from a fairytale. Only by looking at the sky and the ground beneath them could Rockman and Lightman tell that they were still indeed in the net.

"This is so weird…" Lightman commented.

Rockman looked around. "Where are Rei and Beam?" Lightman joined in the quick search for the creatures but the maidens were nowhere to be seen.

"Is this the Eon Net?" Lightman finally asked.

Rockman shrugged. "Yes?" he answered, though not so sure himself.

"But I thought Myst had taken it over," Lightman said.

Rockman crossed his arms. "I know as much as you, so why are you asking me?"

Lightman grinned. "Come on, Rock. You're supposed to know these things"

Rockman gave a "hmph" and then, grabbing Lightman's wrist, lead the way heading for the castle. "Maybe if we head in, we'll find some answers." Lightman nodded in agreement.

Slightly down the path they saw what looked like a navi trimming a rose bush but for a reason the twins could not explain they sensed she was not a navi.

Rockman walked up to the "navi', Lightman following close behind. "Excuse me," he said.

The "navi" jumped and looked at the two. She quickly held up the trimmers she had been using as if in defense. "Who are you!? What do you want!?" she screeched.

The blue navis looked at her in surprise, startled by her reaction. "We're lost," Rockman explained.

The "navi's" eyes narrowed. "I don't be believe you."

"It's true," Lightman started. "There were these weird virus/creature things named Rei and Beam and this bright light and the next thing we know, we're here."

The girl studied Rockman and Lightman. After a long pause, she screamed.

"We're not going to hurt you," Rockman cried out in alarm.

"It's hard to trust anyone not from here," another female voice said from behind. Rockman and Lightman whirled around to face a red and yellow navi with long blonde hair coming out from under her helmet. The "navi" they had been talking to took the chance to run inside her home. "I am Slash," the new comer said. "Who are you?" Slash asked menacingly, lifting her sword.

The years of fighting caused Lightman and Rockman to unconsciously slip into a defensive position as they answered. "I'm Rockman and this is Lightman. We met these two creatures named Rei and Beam and we think they brought us here," Rockman explained.

Slash let out a small laugh. "Rei and Beam? Yeah right. Nice try. Now…" she jumped and lifted her sword above her head, "…be deleted!"

"Sword!" the twins called in unison as they braced for the attack. The three swords met and Rockman and Lightman swung as Slash jumped back.

"I give you this, you're quick reactors," Slash said.

"You've seen nothing yet," Lightman snapped. "Machine Gun!" The called weapon appeared and Lightman began to shoot. Slash reflected the shots with her sword. Lightman and Rockman jumped out of the way. "She's good!" Lightman called out in alarm.

Slash smiled at the comment. "Of course. But 'you've seen nothing yet'," she taunted. "Erupting Sword!" Slash slashed the air with her sword twice, each sending out a wave of energy at each twin. Both dodged the attack and looked at each other.

They needed a plan.

"Ice Punch!" Lightman called out the chip and charged Slash. The agile navi jumped out of the way.

"Fumikomizan!" Rockman appeared next to Slash and swung his own sword. The attack made contact and both landed opposite each other, Slash clasping the fresh cut on her arm.

"Not bad," she grunted.

"Two-on-one seems a little unfair though," another voice said. Before Rockman and Lightman could react, a white blast hit them, sending them flying into a nearby bush.

"Who…?" Lightman asked as he recovered.

"Greetings, Rockman and Lightman. I am Mirageman," a tall tan and grey navi greeted. "How did you like my 'Hyper Blast'?"

"Not so much," Lightman answered.

Mirageman chuckled. "Spirit, I see."

Slash jumped next to her comrade. "So you two ready to continue?" Rockman and Lightman took a battle stance. Slash and Mirageman grinned. "Okay, let's go."

"I don't know why this is happening, Lightman," Rockman whispered to his twin, "but if we're going to win this, we need to work together."

Lightman gave his characteristic grin. "Of course. Let's go, _Niisan_."

"We won't loose!" they screamed in unison.

Slash and Mirageman looked at the twins in surprise and then smiled.

"Show us," Mirageman said. "Show us what you can do!"

"Here we come," Lightman called out as he leapt into the air. "Variable Sword!" Slash and Mirageman jumped out of the way. Lightman landed and spun around, leaping at Mirageman. Lightman had done it quicker than Mirageman anticipated and he barely managed to defend against the attack by holding up his arm. Meanwhile, Rockman had taken the chance to attack Slash, meeting sword against sword. All his battles with Blues came in handy as the two fought, locking the two in an intense battle as Lightman and Mirageman exchanged attacks using guns and projected attacks.

Neither were aware that the twins had a plan.

Rockman and Lightman carefully lead their battles so that eventually they were back to back, tricking Slash and Mirageman into thinking that they had the upper-hand.

And then in the blink of an eye, the twins switched, crushing the thought.

"Program Advance! Giga Cannon!" Lightman called, pointing the attack at Slash.

"Program Advance! Elemental Sword!" Rockman yelled, driving the sword down on Mirageman.

The attacks took a direct hit, neither navi having time to prepare a defense.

Mirageman smiled as he slowly struggled to stand. "Very good, twins."

Slash smiled likewise, even despite the heavy damage to her. "But we expected such from the Warriors of Legend."

"What the…!?" Lightman started.

"This was a test," Mirageman explained.

"And you passed with flying colors!" Slashed said cheerfully.

"What kind of test is this!?" Lightman started angrily. He was ready to attack them again if Rockman wasn't holding him back,

Mirageman smile apologetically. "Sorry, but Echo-_sama_ wanted to make sure you were ready."

"I demand to see this Echo right now!" Lightman yelled out in frustration. Rockman just rolled his eyes, still holding his twin. Lightman was leaving such a wonderful impression. But could he have really expected anything else from his oh-so-excitable brother? After all, even he thought the "test" wasn't appropriate.

"Where is he!?" Lightman demanded.

"She," Slash corrected, "and it's time you met her."

There was another bright flash of light and the next thing the twins knew they were standing in a grand hall with Slash and Mirageman. They were standing before an elegant and elevated throne. Next to the throne were three navis, red, yellow and green respectively, and each giving Rockman and Lightman the same feeling that the first "navi" they had met earlier had given. On the other side were the Sun and Moon Maidens, Rei and Beam. And finally, before the throne, was a silver and white navi that gave an air of power and majesty. She smiled kindly at the twins.

"I am Echo of the Eon Net," she said. "Welcome, Twin Warriors."


	17. Ueda's Suspicion

GOMEN FOR THE LONG UPDATE! But now it's here so read and enjoy!

We're back in the hosptial with Netto and, as always, I DO NOT OWN ROCKMAN!

_Chapter 17: Ueda's Suspicion_

Netto glanced at Rockman as Dr. Ueda left the room.

"Rockman? Is it just me or does Ueda-san keep looking at you?"

Rockman let out a sigh. "Oh good: it's not just me."

Netto cocked a small grin at the reply. "Have any idea why?"

Rockman shook his head: "No, none at all."

Netto frowned and turned his focus to the ceiling. "I like Ueda-san and all, but it's kinda creepy…"

Rockman nodded.

"I wonder how many dots are on this ceiling…" Netto mused.

"Bored, are we?" Rockman chuckled.

"…19, 20, 21…"

Rockman just laughed and turned back to some of the various screens in the PET that monitored Netto's health. Everything looked good and Rockman turned back to his unbelievably bored net-op. He couldn't help but chuckle again as he watched Netto seemingly stare into the space above him with the only movement being the slight quiver of his lips as he counted.

He was nearing the 110's when Netto's friends walked into the room.

"The heck are you doing, Netto?" Dekao asked.

"Counting…117, 118, 119…" Netto answered without removing his gaze from the ceiling.

"Are we that bored?" Dingo teased.

Netto chuckled as he finally turned to look at his friends. "Rockman asked the same thing. And, yes."

Everyone except Enzan gave a slight laugh and even though Enzan did not chuckle, he did give a small smile and a shake of the head.

"Well, hopefully we can entertain you," Meiru said.

Netto gave a broad grin. "You already are. So how are you guys?"

They all answered at the same time with a "Fine", "Good", "Okay", or some answer along those lines.

"Though we'd be better if you'd hurry up and get better," Dingo joked.

Netto gave another smile. "I'll see what I can do about that".

"Netto."

The tone in Enzan's voice caught Netto off-guard: he had known Enzan long enough to know that when he used that tone he meant business. But what could possibly be wrong?

"We just talked with Ueda-isha," Enzan began. Netto noticed everyone suddenly become uncomfortable.

"Yeah?" Netto asked slowly.

"He asked us something strange. About Rockman," Enzan said.

"About…Rockman?" Netto asked startled, the tense atmosphere now clearly evident. Netto looked at his navi and then back to Enzan. He felt uneasy: maybe it had been how the doctor had been looking at Rockman all day or maybe it was Rockman's own nervousness that they shared through the link. There was no telling for sure, but the uncertainty was nevertheless there. "What…about him?" Netto asked.

"He asked if Rockman was…more human than most navis," Enzan stated.

"More…_human_!?" Netto asked stunned. Rockman lost a bit of color and a flash of realization was sent unintentionally through the link.

"Why the heck would he think that?" Netto laughed to shake the shock off.

"That's what we wanted to ask you," Enzan said.

Netto shrugged. "How should I know? But that does explain why he keeps glancing at Rockman."

"Okay. Then never mind," Enzan said, but not before glancing at Rockman. Thankfully Rockman had recovered just enough to gain enough color that the Net Saver did not note anything out of the ordinary. But only just.

-----------------

Netto waved as his friends left and then let out a sigh.

"Ueda-san thinks you're more human than other navis?" Netto mused quietly.

"Netto-kun," Rockman called just as quietly.

"Yeah, Rock?" Netto returned as he looked at his brother.

"It crossed my mind earlier but now I know for sure: Dr. Ueda treated me too," Rockman whispered.

Netto looked slightly stunned. "So…do you think….?" Netto began.

Rockman shook his head. "I have no idea, but...what...what if Papa...mentioned something back then?"

"What about me?"

Netto and Rockman in surprise. "Papa! Mama!"

Haruka went over and hugged her son. "How are you today, Netto?"

"Fine. But Papa," Netto said as he was released from his mother's embrace. "Do you know a Dr. Ueda?"

A look of realization crossed the scientists face. "Ueda Hiro? Yeah. Why?"

"He treated me, right?" Rockman asked.

"Yes…" Yuuichiro answered slowly, not fully grasping where his sons were going.

"He…Ueda-san is treating Netto-kun, but…" Rockman's voice trailed off.

"Really?" Yuuichiro asked, but then, looking at the forlorn looks on both faces, he asked: "What's wrong."

"Did you ever suggest anything about Saito and Rockman?" Netto finally asked since his navi seemed too troubled to get the question out.

The father looked surprised. "I…I…maybe I did. Yeah, I think I mentioned _something_ at the time…but…does he know?"

Netto shook his head. "I don't know but he's been looking at Rockman weird all day and then he asked Enzan, Meiru, and the others if they knew if Rockman was more human than other navis."

Yuuichiro looked troubled. "He…might know." The man was quiet for a moment then smiled. "Don't worry, boys. I'll clear it all up."

The two smiled thankfully. "Thanks, Papa," Rockman vocalized.

-----------------

"Dr. Ueda!"

The doctor turned around to face the one who addressed him. At first he did not recognize the man or the woman with him.

"Yes. How may I help you?" Ueda asked.

"The experiment did not work," Yuuichiro said.

"Experiment? What…" At that moment Ueda spotted the symbol on his jacket and he realized to whom he was now speaking. "Oh, that one." He gave the scientist a kind smile. "It's been awhile, Hikari-hakase, Hikari-san."

"It has," Yuuichiro nodded.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said, "about Netto-kun. I promise I'm doing everything in my power to keep you from losing another son."

"Thank you," Haruka said, giving a small smile.

"But why are you telling me your crazy idea didn't work?" Ueda asked Yuuichiro.

"You were making Netto and Rockman a little nervous," Yuuichiro answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I did not realize I was," Ueda said sheepishly. "I did not think that the idea was probable but I couldn't help think, 'But what if…'."

Yuuichiro nodded. "I wish that it was true," he said, feeling somewhat foolish outright lying to someone he rather respected, "but Rockman is _not_ Netto's..."

"DR. UEDA!"

The group turned to face a frantic nurse running up to him.

"What is it?" Ueda asked alarmed but nevertheless remaining calm.

"Hikari-kun…"

That was all that was muttered before Ueda was racing down the hall to Netto's room, followed closing by the patient's parents and the nurse.


	18. Eonian History 101

Disclaimer: **I do not own Rockman.exe!!!! **I'm just a fanfic writer doing her best to keep .EXE alive!

_Chapter 18: Eonian History 101_

Lightman had anticipated on giving Echo a piece of his mind about the "test" but Echo had a disturbingly calm effect on him. His previous rage had all but given way and the only emotion left now was calmness, along with some curiosity. Not to mention that the sheer amount of power the navi emitted was enough to second guess attacking.

Echo smiled kindly at the blue twins. "Sorry about the 'test'," she said, "I should have known you needed no such process but I follow the belief that is better safe than sorry."

Lightman smirked. "Sounds like you and Rock have something in common," he joked. Rockman rolled his eyes and Echo continued to smile before turning to her companions.

"You've already met Rei and Beam as well as some of my best battlers, Mirageman.exe and Slash.exe. Mirageman is the leader of the defense force while Slash is, for lack of a better word, a freelancer." Rockman and Lightman nodded at the pair.

"I look forward to working with you next time," Mirageman commented, "and to hear out some of your guys' battle plans."

"Uh, we'll let you know when we have one," Lightman said. Mirageman chuckled.

Echo then turned to the other three "navis". "These are the Children of Eon, Red, Yellow and Green." The three Eonians bowed, which Rockman and Lightman returned.

"Welcome," the eldest, Red, said.

Echo continued, "They were the heirs of Eon before their world was destroyed. Unfortunately, their father, King, has sided himself with my other half, Myst."

"Other half?" Rockman asked

Echo frowned. "Yes, other half. Myst and I were created to be the base of the net. After the disaster with Pharaohman, the scientists of your world moved forward to recreate a similar net but with two bases instead of one to prevent the corruption that occurred with Pharaohman. Myst and I were those navis that were to be the centers of that net but before the plan was implemented the idea for your current net, one that did not need a so-called "center", was created and we were, rightfully, discarded. Myst, who I consider my brother, fled to the Undernet to reside. Back then the Undernet was not the hiding place it now is and Myst and I resided in peace for awhile…

"Unfortunately, that peace was not to last. As the Undernet became forgotten and an ideal place to criminals, my brother began to have ideas. At first I did not think much of it but still thought it best that we should leave the Undernet so those ideas were not nurtured into maturity. We went to the very edges of the Undernet began to build our own net, secure and hidden from the rest of the world.

"It was during this time we discovered a 'hole' of sorts—a hole to another world, the world of Eon. Eon is a world where beings are made of a strange matter not found on Earth. The planet looks very much like Earth but the inhabitants are more like a materialized data than made of carbon like humans are. At this point, Eon was in a dark state and facing destruction by a powerful being from space. We did what we could to evacuate as many as we could and we gave our kingdom to King and his children as long as they would maintain our goal of using it as a sanctuary for Eonians and navis alike.

"Even though he was crowned primary ruler of what we named the Eon Net, after his home world, King was bitter at the loss of his kingdom and having to share it with navis. His bitterness caused bitter feelings to also rise in my brother, who became angry at the humans and the net for his "loss". Soon he and King were planning revenge together and by the time I and the Children noticed, it was too late to save them. So we did the next best thing."

Echo looked down sadly as if she was about to cry. The youngest Child of Eon, Green, went over to place a comforting hand on Echo while Red continued on:

"We banished them and all their followers. This place was meant to be a sanctuary and if they were to rule any longer we would all be at their mercy. We could not let that happen.

"But we did not expect what happened next. Myst became too strong and despite our strength we could not fend off their constant attacks. Myst himself is incredibly powerful and extremely smart as well. Not to mention, we were unprepared, though we should have known…" Red slowly trailed off and looked at his younger brother and sister.

"Twins, all that is left now is your worlds and those worlds are the ones they want to _destroy_. The Eon Net and the Undernet were to demonstrate power and to gain numbers. And the only ones that can stop them are you two," Echo said sadly. "Of course, we will provide whatever we can to help but ultimately everything relies on you two."

"But no pressure," Lightman said sarcastically. Rockman shook head but also noticed that everyone smiled for the first time since the story had started. Rockman then smiled as well: Lightman, no, Netto, had always been good at lightening a tense atmosphere.

"Yeah, no pressure," Mirageman joked back.

"Rei, Beam," Echo addressed the small Eonian creatures. "Today's been a long day. Will you please escort…"

Echo was interrupted by a large explosion.

"What was that!?" Rockman called out.

"Only one way to find out," Slash said as she her hand transformed into a sword.

Rockman, Lightman, Mirageman, Slash and the maidens all raced out of the room and into the streets. It did not take long were the destruction was taking places as smoke continued to bellow into the sky and more explosions took place.

"They're heading for the castle!" Mirageman stated.

"And at an incredible speed!" Rei commented in concern.

"It must be Myst!" Slash stated.

"No," Rockman said firmly and causing everyone to look at the small blue navi. "This feeling..." he said again, looking at his brother who he knew was thinking the exact same thing.

"Then who…?" Slash asked.

A final explosion occurred where the group stood at the gates of Echo's castle, causing everyone to be thrown into the air. The twins flipped and landed hardly on their feet and prepared for battle. The smoke cleared revealing the cloaked navi.

"FORTE!" the twins called to their clearly angry foe.

---------------

There you go, all you Forte lovers! To be honest, it hadn't crossed my mind to even add him in until I had reviews asking for him and I immediately thought he'd fit in nicely here, so here you go!

And sorry if this chapter is kind of boring…or really boring…but it's one of those chapters that is needed to make sense of things and yadda, yadda, yadda and so on and so forth. But regardless, I hope you enjoyed it at least somewhat, corny names and all! At least let me know by pushing the "Review" button below. Thanks!

And kudos to whoever can guess who destroyed Eon!


	19. A Hard Realization

OVER 80 REVIEWS! YEAH! And over 10,000 hits! I never even dared to wish for so many hits and reviews! All I can say is THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I can't take the time to list everyone who's reviewed, but I thank each and everyone of you for taking the time to tell me what you like, what I still need and giving me suggestions (like Forte. Never would have been here if not for your reviews!). I could just hug you all!

That being said…here AT LONG LAST is chapter 19! I'm so, so sorry it's taken so long and unfortunately I can't promise a quick update for the next one. Homework is evil like that…I can see why Netto avoids it. But I promise to do my best!

For a recap of chapter 17, Netto has just had an attack so we're picking up there. Hope you enjoy!

I need some creative ways to write this line: I DON'T OWN ROCKMAN.EXE.

_Chapter 19: A Hard Realization_

Meiru sat next to the bed, clutching her skirt in her fists, half wanting to cry, half too ashamed to cry. Not that it mattered: she was too shocked, _too_ sad, to shed any tears even if she fully did want to cry.

Rockman, needless to say, was no better. He watched silently, his eyes only leaving his beloved net-op to look at the various windows that displayed Netto's vital stats. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Tare going over other windows and taking notes. Rockman's gaze returned to Netto, wanting desperately for him to just open his eyes; but, they remained closed and all he, and everyone else, could do was wait. They said Netto was the impatient one but Rockman was finding he hated to wait as well.

Meiru jumped as she felt a hand come down on her shoulder and looked up at the owner of said hand.

"Enzan," she acknowledged quietly, forcing a small smile that quickly disappeared, at which point she returned to look back at the brunette. Enzan also shifted his gaze so that Netto was the one in his line of sight. Rockman had never even looked up.

The three stared in silence as the only movement was Tare coming in and out of Rockman's PET and the various medical machines attached to Netto. An extremely weary Yuuichiro gently held his exhausted wife as they sat on the sofa in one corner.

All they could do was watch and wait.

The wait seemed like eternity.

Without warning, Netto's hand twitched ever so slightly. Rockman held his breathe as he was the only one who noticed the movement but before the blue navi could say anything, Netto caught the attention of the other occupants in the room with a grimace in the face and a slight moan.

"Wh…what happened?" Netto's groggy voice came.

Meiru decided she did not want to cry but that did not matter as she burst into tears.

"Netto! I was so worried!" she wailed.

"Meiru-chan," Netto weakly lifted his arm. "It's okay. I'm okay. It'll all be fine."

Meiru shook here head. "No it's not, no it's NOT! Netto! What's wrong?" Meiru cried out as her sobs increased.

"Meiru-chan…" Netto looked at the red head than up at the dotted ceiling. He still never finished counting, he thought, but that would wait. He stared blankly up, staring into nothing as if he was debating within himself.

"Netto-kun?" Rockman quietly asked after an unusual prolonged amount of silence from the brunette passed, the only sound being Meiru's continued sobs.

Another pause.

"Netto?" This time it was Enzan, but still there was no response. Netto simply continued to stare into nothing.

"I'm dying," Netto finally said.

It was the first time Netto had acknowledged such a fact. Yes, he had poked fun and made jokes around the fact but they were more to…well who knew. But until now, the fact had remained dormant and at the back of everyone's minds. No one, except maybe Rockman, had any idea that Netto had given the frightening prospect any serious thought — it had simply seemed too out of character for him.

But the fact was that he _was_ dying—and now he had admitted such fact aloud.

Hearing the truth made it truth.

Meiru suddenly stopped sobbing as if in shock. "W…what?" she asked.

"I'm dying." This time there had been no pause.

Tears began to well up in Meiru's eyes. Without realizing it, Netto had successfully tricked her into thinking that nothing was wrong: his characteristic cheerfulness, telling her everything would be like it had before, and simply not telling her the truth, that one simple truth: that he was dying.

The tears came more unbidden and more freely.

"Meiru-chan," Netto finally removed his gaze from the ceiling, "but it doesn't mean I'm going to die. I haven't given up yet." Meiru nodded her headed, wanting so desperately to believe him. Enzan glanced slightly at Dr. Ueda, who had since entered the room. He nodded, promising silently his best.

But despite the promises, the fact of potential and approaching death still hung heavily in the air. There was no more fooling _anyone_ anymore. The fact was there and out in the open and would no longer be denied its presence.

It was a hard realization.


	20. An Unexpected Alliance

PLEASE VOTE!

I have a lot of story ideas for once this story is done and I have no idea which one to write—so I'm letting all you readers decide! There are 8 options with summaries on my biography page. Please read them over and let me know the top **2** you would be most interested in reading next. If you have any questions, you can PM me. The poll is open until this story is done. Thanks for participating!

And now for the line I must always include or else Capcom will send Forte after me: I don't own Rockman.exe!

* * *

_Chapter 20: An Unlikely Alliance_

"FORTE!"

If Forte was surprised at seeing to Rockmen, he did not show such emotion; he simply looked from one Rockman to the "other". He's expression turned from rage to a smirk.

"Decide to clone yourself, Rockman?" he asked. "Can't do it yourself?"

Both Lightman and Rockman glared at the evil navi and lowered themselvs into an even more defensive position.

"No," Lightman growled angrily. "I'm Lightman. Now what do you want with the Eon Net!? 'Cause you'll have to get through us first to do anything here to hurt them!"

"Very brave for a mite like yourself," Forte taunted. "You may look like Rockman, but I do not think you will be _any _threat."

Lightman fumed. "We'll see about that! Samurai sword!" Lightman jumped at the evil cloaked navi, who easily defended with a Darkness Blade. They were in a grid lock for a while. "Now what do you want, Forte!?" Lightman demanded.

Forte growled and pushed harder, sending Lightman back. "To destroy them!" he yelled, "For daring to attack the Undernet!"

"It wasn't these navis, Forte!" Rockman claimed as he jumped in to defend his brother just as Forte was about to strike him.

"That's right! We're victims just like you!" Slash said angrily, attempting a slash with her own sword, which missed as Forte broke the clash of blades he and Rockman had been holding.

Apparently Forte was not in the mood to listen. "Hell's Rolling!" he yelled as he released the two wheels of dark energy. The targeted navis all jumped out of the way.

"I've had about enough of you!" Lightman said angrily. "Style-change! Elec-team!" As the light-blue navi called out the transformation, he was enveloped in light. When the light broke, Lightman stood in the yellow scheme of Elec-team style.

Slash could not help but whistle. "Impressive," she commented.

"So what? A style-change won't save you!" Forte yelled as he jumped at the now yellow navi.

Lightman jumped back and landed next to Slash. "Slash! Lend me your power!"

"What?" Slash asked confused but then noticed his extended hand and took it. Again a light enveloped the two navis and when the light dissipated, only Lightman remained.

"Slash sword!" he yelled as he activated the weapon and jumped at Forte. With the increased power, Forte was unable to fend Lightman off, but Lightman was unable to do anything to Forte either.

"Lightman has the right idea," Rockman said and turned to Mirageman. "Mirageman, can I use your power too?"

"Huh, ooh, uh, sure," he said and extended his hand. The two crests on the navis glowed and again a light also enveloped the navis, revealing a transformed Rockman when the light faded.

"How come I'm still here when Slash was absorbed?" Mirageman asked.

"My cross-system is a little different from the style-change," Rockman explained. "Now…" a light began to glow in Rockman's hand. "Mirage Confusion!"

This time the whole field was covered in a bright light and when it disappeared Forte was standing in a dark area all by himself. In the distance was a city-like area that look much like the refuge area of the remaining navis and Eonites, bursting into flames.

"What trick is this!?" He yelled. "ROCKMAN!" Forte took off at blinding speed toward the black billows of smoke pouring out from the city. He was confused to find the city in chaos and that this city was not the place he had just been in fighting Rockman and the other three navis.

A small child Eonite ran in front of him, crying. The child was being chased by several black navis, led by the malicious Luckman, taunting with a "run, baby, run". The evil cat-like navi then leaped at the child who screamed. Out of no where Mirageman jumped in, swooping the child in his arms and away from Luckman's claws.

"Mirageman!" Luckman yelled angrily.

"You'll pay for this treachery, Luckman!" Mirageman said before disappearing in a blinding flash with the child.

"We'll see," a slithering, smooth voice said. "_Everything_ will fall before and nothing will escape."

Forte immediately recognized the gold and white navi. "MYST!" His had began to glow with a dark, purple light. "DARKNESS OVERLOAD!" The attack was devastating and should have done a lot of damage, but nothing happened. The attack simply went through those in front of him. Forte's eyes narrowed. "An illusion…"

"That's right!" a familiar voice called out. "PROGRAM ADVANCE! HYPER-BURST!"

Simultaneously a very similar voice also yelled out: "PROGRAM ADVANCE! GIGA CANNON!"

Forte turned just in time to see the twin navis releasing the two program advances. The double attack threw him back into a wall. He opened his eyes to see that the illusion had faded and that both navis had released their transformations.

"Forte, do you see now?" Rockman said. "These here are not responsible for the fall of the Undernet! They were attacked and taken over too."

"And if we don't do something, the rest of the net will fall," Lightman said. "I know you don't like the humans, but do you really want the whole net to fall?"

Forte stood up from the rubble without a sound. Both Rockman and Lightman prepared for another attack, especially as he began to walk toward them. He stopped right in front of the twins.

"What do you have in mind then?" he asked.

Lightman and Rockman both blinked in surprise. "…in…mind…WHAT!?" Lightman burst out.

"Are…are you suggesting we do this together?" Rockman asked, unable to hide the fact that he was dumbfounded.

"I still think you are the scum of the net," Forte said, "but Myst _must _pay for what they have done."

"Wow, I thought I'd never agree with _Forte_ of all people!" Lightman exclaimed. "Err…I mean navis…" he corrected when he saw Forte glare angrily at him. "And not with the 'scum; part either," he mumbled.

Forte continued to glare. "But we just met," Forte pointed out.

"Uh…well…I've heard about you…" Lightman stammered, both he and Rockman slightly sweat-dropping nervously.

Forte studied the light-blue copy of the navi who had once been his greatest goal and target. "You still seem...familiar though: an aura I've only seen in one…" Forte stopped himself, Lightman and Rockman both sweat-dropping profusely now.

"How can that be…" Lightman laughed hestitantly. Forte studied Lightman for a little bit more and then turned Rockman. Rockman extended his had.

"Truce?" Rockman asked. Forte looked at the offered hand. Lightman shuddered at the memory last time Rockman had offered something to Forte. He had thought he was losing his best friend and his brother to…to _him_! The one who had, in another form, _deleted_ him! And then later _kidnapped _him. He would always hate Forte for the things he had done and tried to do to Rockman. But Forte would not try to take his advance program now, would he? Knowing what the effects would be? That there would be no point? Right? _Right?_ Lightman's stomached twisted, afraid of what Forte might pull. He bit his lip as he watched Forte lift his own hand and taking Rockman's in his own.

"Truce."

* * *

Remember to vote for the next story! And reviewing won't hurt either. ;) Thanks! 


	21. An Unpleasant End

Wow. The poll is going to be close! Every single story has been voted for at least once! (I received a pm requesting "The Step Program" and "The Black Dragon" to be added to the poll so know that there are additional votes there). If you have not voted yet, please do! Remember, it's open until this story is done.

And, as always, I don't want to be sued so I don't own Rockman.exe. Capcom does and last time I checked I don't even work for them much less have ownership rights.

_Chapter 21: An Unpleasant End_

Why did bad guys _always_ have to ruin a perfectly good day?—especially when perfectly good days were now far and few between?

Netto looked at the PET screen where Rockman was shooting at several viruses and then at the doors and finally at the panicked patients behind him.

"Don't worry. We almost have the door open," Netto reassured. Just as he finished the sentence, the door opened and the patients fled. Netto helped one elderly man who was having trouble walking.

"Thank you, young man," he said in a raspy voice before beginning to coughing furiously as he breathed in the smoke that was getting in thicker and thicker by the minute.

Netto just smiled. "No problem. It's my job."

Rockman frowned. Here was Netto helping patients who were, in many cases, much healthier than he was; yet with Netto's reassuring and smiling façade, no one had any idea that Netto was _not_ a net saver anymore but a patient just like the rest of them.

It had been a perfect day. Netto had woken up without any tiredness or pain and once the early morning grumpiness had quickly worn off, Netto was the cheery and energetic boy everyone knew him to be before he had gotten sick. It had been everything for Rockman to keep him in the room—and everything to know that Netto was not really cured but that it was just a really good day.

"There are the doors that lead outside!" Netto directed and the other patients gratefully hurried past and into the light and away from the darkening smoke.

But Netto went back in, knowing there were more patients. Rockman wanted to protest loudly and at first he had, but the efforts were fruitless as Netto, being Netto, ignored and disregarded Rockman's worried naggings. In the end, Rockman had to give in because, even if his heart was giving out, Netto's heart was still good.

Netto climbed back up to the third floor where he had heard people beating on the locked doors. "Plug-in! Rockman.exe! Transmission!" Netto yelled out the familiar phrase and Rockman exited the PET in a wave of red. Of course, there were more viruses. "Fire blade! Download!" Netto slotted in the chip and Rockman began to hack at the viruses, feeling somewhat out of practice but knowing that if he failed, Netto-kun and so many others, would die.

----------------------------------------------

"Enzan-sama. It's Meijin," Blues informed his net-op.

"Thank you, Blues," Enzan acknowledged as he pulled out the PET and answered the call.

"Enzan," Meijin began formally, though Enzan noticed the man looked a bit more panicked than usual. "We need you _immediately_ at the hospital. A fire has broken out."

Enzan visibly looked startled. "What!? Is Netto okay?"

Meijin sadly shook his head. "All connections in the area have been cut off."

"Okay, I'm on my way," Enzan said, running faster than he ever had toward the door.

----------------------------------------------

Netto was good at ignoring a lot of things. Normally, homework was at the top of that list but the past years of being a net saver had also taught him to ignore other things, such as pain that would stop most other people, that strength was quickly draining away, or that things were progressively getting worse. Netto had learned on focusing on one thing and one thing only: and that was to win, no matter the sacrifice. Irrelevant details that would only cause more panic or distraction became a thing unnoticed thing at the back of the mind.

Then the past month had also taught him to control his breathing, his heart pace and many other things that would have been detrimental to the brunette at the moment had he not learned to control them. These lessons were now vital at the moment because if he did not exercise them now, his calm demeanor would give way to panic and panic would give way to a heart-attack and a heart-attack would most assuredly kill him and if he was killed then the people still trapped would also die and that was _not_ a fact Netto would take. There was one focus: to win.

But even with all his experience and ability, there was a threshold to the ability to ignore certain facts such as pain and a growing inability to breathe and Netto was quickly approaching that threshold.

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"Netto-kun, I think we've got everyone out. You need to get out _now_!" Rockman admonished.

Netto looked around, trying to peer through the tears that were caused by the stinging of thick, black smoke that made everything invisible around him. Netto coughed into the bandana he had been keeping over his nose and mouth and nodded to Rockman. "Okay, let's get out."

Netto began to weakly feel for the stairs. His escapades at the first of his arrival had allowed him to nearly memorize the floor layout but his increasing weakness made it hard to remember. Everything began to spin. It would be so easy to just lie down and rest. In fact, the idea was starting to sound really good. Dang it! Where was all the energy he had this morning? Netto blinked and slowly slid to the ground, unable to see anything.

Then there was a cry somewhere in the hall.

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"Sword! Wide sword! Long sword!" Enzan slotted the three chips in.

"Program Advance! Dream sword!" Blues called out, unleashing the devastating attack at the assaulting navi. Because of the damage already done to him at the hands of the crimson navi, Scorchman was unable to block or evade. The attack hit point blank and the navi logged out, but not cursing at his defeators.

"You'll pay for this! Myst's power is so much greater than this!"

"That's what they all say." Enzan said dryly before logging out Blues. The netbattler turned to the fire chief. "Is everyone out?"

The chief nodded: "I think so."

"Good," Enzan said, then went among the masses of escaped patients to find a certain brunette.

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Somehow, Netto was able to find the strength and ability to stand back up and head toward the crying voice.

"There…there's some…someone…sti…still here, Ro…Rock…" Netto breathed heavily. Rockman opened his mouth to tell Netto to leave but then closed it, knowing it was pointless to tell him to leave since he heard the voice too. Netto slowly made his way to the lost person. He found the small boy huddled in a corner nearly surrounded by flames.

"Hey, we…we need to…to go," Netto said reaching out a hand and trying to sound a strong as he possibly could.

"I'm scared!" the boy wailed, unmoving.

Netto went to the boy and handed him his bandana and squatted. "Hol…hold this to your…your face and get on," Netto commanded. The boy nodded and climbed on. Netto was barely able to stand but found the strength knowing that this life depended on him. Adrenaline was a wonderful thing even if all it did was let him walk at a slightly faster pace than he had been. The trio mad their way to the stairs, barely dodging the flames and Rockman guiding since the smoke made everything impossible to see and Netto's head was getting much to fuzzy to remember the floor plan anymore. They found the door and Netto began to fumble down the stairs, wanting more than anything to give into the weariness and pain but knowing that if he did, the boy on his back would not make it out. That one fact was the only thing that kept Netto going down the stairs.

"NETTO-KUN!"

Netto barely had time to throw the boy down to the landing and out of the way of the collapsing staircase from above.

"Kee…keep…keep go…going down!" Netto instructed, find it hard to find a breathe and unable to get past the flames that now divided them. "O…one more flight and…and ther…there's a door that…le…leads out…"

"Bu…but…," the boy cried.

"GO!"

The boy took off down the last flight of stairs and out the door at the bottom, letting him out of danger, while his saver finally gave in to his desire for rest even despite his brother's calls to stay awake.

----------------------------------------------

"Ijuuin-san!" Enzan looked up to see a frazzled Dr. Ueda. "Ijuuin-san," he repeated breathlessly. "I…I can't find him. I can't find Netto!"

"What!?" Enzan burst out.

The doctor looked downright scared. "I can't find Netto-kun. I looked everywhere and I can't find him! I think he's still trapped inside!"

Without a word, Enzan ran to the burning hospital but was held back by the fire chief. "The building's unstable!" he said.

"But my friend's in there!" Enzan yelled.

"Chief! Look!" a firefighter pointed out to a young boy running toward them from the building. Another firefighter ran to the boy and scooped him up and carried him back to where everyone was. Enzan heart nearly stopped when he saw the blue bandana in the crying boy's hand.

"Where'd you get that bandana!?" Enzan demanded.

"The…the boy who carried…carried me out…out!" the boy wailed.

"Where is he now?" Enzan asked, trying his best to stay calm.

"The…the stairs fe..fell," the boy said, still crying. "He's…he's still in there!"

Enzan immediately took off toward the building, ignoring the fire chief's calls to come back. Within moments, a dimensional area appeared and CF Blues burst into the building by the door the boy had come from. He could just barely hear Rockman's pleas for Netto to wake up and jumped up the stairs to where the brunette was laying unconscious and surrounded by flames. CF Blues put the flames out with a bubble-shot and scooped up the boy into his arms, just as the stairs gave way. As they made their exit, Enzan begged Netto to stay alive, unable to hide the severe worry in his voice.

When they were finally out in the sunlight, Ueda-isha whispered a prayer to let the brunette be alive and the fire chief gave a slight sigh of relief. Several firefighters rushed to greet them and to take Netto to give him the much medical attention he needed as soon as the dimensional area disappeared.

A few moments later, Enzan stood by as he watched the nurses and doctors poke his friend with various needles and attack him to some of the limited machines they had. "Netto, you _baka_," he whispered, "you just have to be the hero don't you? You just have to be a dang hero." Soon a helicopter arrived to take Netto and a couple other critical patients to the next nearest hospital. Enzan could only watch as Netto was taken away.

"Sometimes I wish you weren't such a hero."

So much for a good day.


	22. The Twins' Secret

Chapter 22: The Twin's Secret

**Special thanks goes to Imagine.EXE! SHE DREW ME A PICTURE! XD **Seriously, I'm a sucker for pictures and if you ever draw a picture for one of my stories, you will be one of my favorite people **FOREVER**. Anyway, I **insist** everyone checks out Imagine.EXE wonderful artwork. There's a link on my bio page since for some reason I can't get links to work on posted chapters. .

That said, another shout out needs to happen: **OVER ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS!!** Count it: over 1-0-0! Everyone sure does spoil me! Thank you to every single one of you has ever reviewed. It means so much to have your feed back. And it's kind of nice knowing people like my story. XD

Okay, now I've drabbled enough and it's time for the reason you really came here: the story. But as one last note so I don't get in trouble: I don't own Rockman. I am not that creative or that rich.

Okay, now enjoy.

_Chapter 22: The Twins' Secret_

To say Lightman was upset would have been an understatement. The fact that Rockman had just made a truce with Forte of all navis was a bit too much to swallow.

Rockman calmly watched Lightman pace in front of him back on their home page. "I still don't see the problem."

"I don't trust him," Lightman said, not even sparing Rockman a glance.

"I don't really either, but we have to," Rockman said. "Besides, he knows now that our ultimate programs aren't compatible so I don't think he'll try anything."

"Still…" Lightman said as he finally stopped pacing.

"There you boys are," a familiar voice suddenly broke into the conversation. Rockman and Lightman turned to face the window that had just popped up.

"Hello, Papa," the twins greeted in unison.

"Where were you?" Yuuichiro asked. "We looked all over for you."

"Nowhere," Lightman said.

"Who's 'we'?" Rockman followed curiously.

Yuuichiro smiled somewhat mischievously. "Head over to Sci-Labs and you guys will see."

The twins looked at each other puzzled and then proceeded to head to link that lead the way to sci-lab as the window that had held Yuuichiro's face shut down. Having been to sci-lab hundreds of times before, it did not take long for the twins to jump into the link that entered sci-lab.

Blues and Searchman, who were in the sci-lab area, broke off their idle conversation to see who was coming as they heard the entrance link activate. Searchman raised an eyebrow as he saw not only Rockman who, as far as he was aware, was still reclusive, but also the lighter look-alike come through closely behind Rockman.

Searchman began to say something but was cut off as Lightman, upon seeing both Blues and Searchman, burst out, "Ah crap," and turned to leave. However, Rockman silently gripped Lightman's arm to keep him from leaving and Lightman grumpily relented.

"Hello," Rockman greeted slowly, feeling the awkwardness of the situation. "Long time, no see, Searchman," the small blue navi directed to the familiar green one as he extended his hand.

Searchman, smiling slightly, took it. "Indeed," he said, then, shifting his gaze to the other blue navi scuffling his feet, asked, "And who might this be?"

Rockman smiled. "This is Lightman. He's been keeping me company," Rockman introduced.

Searchman walked over to the other navi and extended his own hand in friendship. "Nice to meet you, Lightman. My name is Searchman."

Lightman just looked up slightly at the offered hand.

Rockman twitched. "Lightman, you're still not upset are you?" Lightman glanced at his brother and did not respond. Rockman sighed.

"Well, at least he's being quiet," Blues stated.

"NOT funny!" Lightman burst out. Blues and Rockman looked at each other and Rockman started to chuckle. "Rooockmaan…" Lightman groaned. "Why are you laughing at me? It's not funny!"

"You're acting like a little kid," Rockman stated.

Lightman snuffed. "Whatever," he said as he marched between the three other navis with his arms behind his head. "Let's go see why Papa had us come."

The three other navis sweatdropped. "Is he…always like this?" Searchman asked quietly to his two comrades.

Rockman just sighed. "No. He's just not in a really good mood right now."

"Why?" Blue asked.

Rockman suddenly found needing to follow his brother important and took off, giving a quick, "It doesn't really matter. He'll be back to his normal self in a little bit."

This time it was Blues and Searchman to look at each other. "Something is up," Searchman vocalized quietly to his crimson friend. The three had worked together too long to not know what the others were feeling and the fact that Rockman was usually the easiest to read made Searchman fairly confident in his assumption.

"Maybe," Blues stated, no longer sure of anything involving the smaller navi. Blues shook his head sadly: "Too much has changed in the last few months." Searchman gave a small frown and nodded, knowing that what Blues had said was all too true—there sure were to be consequences from everything that had happened and since Blues had been the one to have the latest contact with Rockman, he could only trust what Blues knew…or did not know.

Rockman turned back to his old friends a little bit ahead. "Are you guys coming?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're coming," Searchman said as he and Blues started to move forward; however, Blues did so hesitantly. Of course, you would never have picked up a hesitant quiver in his body, but in his mind he was dreading the interaction that would happen in a matter of moments between his net-op and the navi that reminded Enzan of Netto.

* * *

"There they are."

The twin navis stopped with Blues and Searchman close behind to see out into the human world Meijin, Hikari-hakase, Enzan, Laika, as well as Chief Kifune and Manabe. It had been Chief Kifune who had first spoken and it was he who continued to speak:

"So you're the Lightman I've heard so much about," he said kindly as he approached the screen.

"Uh, yeah," Lightman nodded, somewhat confused.

Seeing the small navi's confused look, which was closely mirrored by the better known Rockman, Kifune chuckled. "You're probably wondering why I'm here,' he said. Both navis nodded. "Well, Lightman, I do not know if you know who I am or not, but I am Chief Kifune, head of the Net Police and I've heard about yours and Rockman's recent activities. Therefore, we've decided, if you want, both of you are welcome to become part of the Net Savers."

Lightman's face immediately lit up. "Really!?" he asked excitedly.

The adults in the room all chuckled at the boy navi's enthusiasm. Enzan gave an "humph" and turned to leave, which earned a curious look from Laika as the prodigy net battler left the room. Lightman and Blues also noticed the exit and Lightman frowned slightly, but no one except Rockman noticed the small change which Lightman hid fairly well.

"Rockman, what about you?" Kifune asked, snapping the other blue navi out of his focus on his concern for Lightman.

"What?" he asked.

"Do you also want to be re-inducted into the Net Savers? I know it's hard…" Kifune asked.

Rockman shook his head and smiled. "That'd be great. I'd love to be back on duty."

Everyone in the room, both real and cyber, gave a small smile. Lightman, in the meantime, jumped on Rockman excitedly. "This is going to be so much fun, Rockman!" he said excitedly. Rockman could not help but laugh at his brother's excitement.

"Well, now that's settled," Kifune said, "we should probably tell you what we know of the latest problem, Myst. Where's Enzan?"

"He left earlier," Laika said. "Something seems to be bothering him."

Rockman and Lightman looked at each other sadly. "It's probably me," Lightman said.

"Why would that be?" Searchman asked.

Lightman shook his head. "I have no idea. But he hasn't liked me from day one."

Noticing Blues indication of being slightly uneasy that only Rockman, or Enzan had he been here, could pick up, Rockman asked, "Do you know why, Blues?"

Blues shook his head, "Err, no. Not that…" Blues stopped. All faces were on him and Blues felt completely lost. He did not want to betray his net-op but he also did not want to lie. Had it been anyone else, he probably would have gone with the first option without second thought. But this was Rockman, his teammate and comrade, the first navi he had ever held any respect for and, yes, even friend. Not to mention, he for once did not completely agree with Enzan's reasoning.

"Blues?" Rockman asked, having no idea of what to make of Blues abnormal hesitancy.

Blues sighed. "Lightman…reminds Enzan-sama of Netto-san," Blues finally said.

"WHAT!?" the outburst from the twins was instantaneous. Blues only nodded.

"You…you can't be serious," Lightman said, laughing off his shock and worry. Blues nodded again. "There's no…it's not possible…" Lightman pushed. "I mean…a human can't become a navi, right?"

"No, you're right," Blues said. "But that's still what he thinks and it bugs him. Enzan-sama never…" Blues pauses sadly and then in a subdued voice said, "He hasn't gotten over Netto-san's death yet."

The room fell dead silent from shock. As for Rockman and Lightman, a strong of mix of emotions where traveling rapidly through the link between them, particularly from Lightman's side. Had his death really hurt Enzan that much? Not only that: how would he ever be able to help him if he hated him, as Lightman, so much? He wanted to help but it seemed impossible. Lightman hung his head low.

Had he really made the right decision?

Rockman's hand came and wrapped tightly around his, giving Lightman his answer. But it still did not solve the answer of how to make things right for Enzan.

"Twins," the silence was broken by one of the small gentle voices the twins had so recently come to know. The whole room turned to face the Maidens.

"Viruses?" Searchman asked, raising his gun in precaution.

"Don't!" both Rockman and Lightman let out the call of alarm. Searchman and Blues both lowered their raised weapons.

"You know them?" Blues asked.

Lightman nodded as Rockman addressed the Maidens, "What is it?"

"Myst has attacked a couple of the areas in the Undernet. Forte's in one area now and we need you to take out the other group led by Dark," Beam explained.

"I hate that guy," Lightman grumbled, though Rockman was not sure if Lightman was referring to Forte or Dark.

"We'll take you to the battle from here," Rei said. Both twins nodded and a bright light surrounded the four. When the brightness level returned to normal, Rockman and Lightman had both disappeared as had the viruses.

"What the…?" Blues began.

"Searchman," Laika's voice echoed through the computer.

"Yes, Laika-san?" Searchman responded.

"Head to the Undernet and see if you can find them and Myst," Laika instructed.

"Yes, sir," Searchman said.

"Let Enzan-sama know that I'm headed in too," Blues said.

"Very well," Kifune said. The two navis logged into the main area of the net to make the journey to the Undernet. Kifune looked at Dr. Hikari, but it was Meijin that vocalized what everything was wondering:

"Do you know anything about this?"

Yuuichiro shook his head, just as shocked as the rest. "I have no idea."

Kifune grunted and looked back at the computer. "Well, it seems they may know more about this then we gave them credit for," he said.

"It appears they may know _more_ then we do in total," Meijin said.

Kifune nodded in agreement. "The question is, what do they know that we don't?"


	23. Missing Team Member

THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Serenade of Light does not own Rockman.exe. (Man, this line is getting really boring.)

_Chapter 23: Missing Team Member_

Laika looked around at the table of people, taking note of the various officials sitting there waiting for the meeting to begin. He also noted Netto's absence, but this in itself was not surprising. One could almost count on Netto being late as one could count on the sun rising each morning...and using the word "almost" was giving Netto credit. So Laika thought nothing of the boy's absence.

But as time slowly ticked by and the meeting progressed, Laika began to wonder more and more why his younger comrade had not yet rudely burst in, apologizing frantically. Laika progressively found it harder and harder to focus on the men presenting as the minute hand slowly moved around the clock face and unwilling curiosity and, yes, even worry continued to rise. What bothered him more was that no one else in the room seemed to notice that Netto was absent.

Finally to the Sharo soldier's relief the meeting ended. He and Enzan exited the room.

"I've been in more exciting meetings," Enzan commented dryly. When Laika did not respond, the shorter net saver looked up at his comrade, who seemed to be deep in thought. "Something wrong?" Enzan asked.

"Huh, oh, nothing," Laika said. "I was just wondering why Netto did not show up. He's usually late, but he always makes it." Enzan stopped cold. Laika turned around confused. "What?" Laika asked.

"You…don't know yet?" Enzan asked.

"Know? Know what?" Laika asked, dread unwillingly rising in his chest. The look on the normally stoic face of the dual-haired boy was not at all settling. "What's wrong with Netto?"

Enzan looked away regretfully. "He's sick," Enzan said.

"How sick?" Laika asked.

"Really sick. He's been in the hospital for awhile. Actually, he's been in a coma for several days now," Enzan said just loud enough for Laika to make out what he was saying.

"A coma? How!?" Laika asked.

"He has a heart disease but the coma is from being an idiot and playing hero," Enzan explained.

"Playing hero? What do you mean by that?" Laika questioned further, not at all surprised at the "playing hero" part but wondering what it meant in this situation.

"Have you heard about the hospital fire?" Enzan asked.

Laika nodded. "Yeah. No one died because one patient…oh," Laika said, putting two and two together.

"Netto's heart was put under too much stress. Not to mention being exposed to the smoke and the heat for so long," Enzan said. "Though, quite frankly, the doctors say it is a complete miracle that he did not die."

"So…do they expect him to live?" Laika asked hesitantly.

Enzan, still looking away, did not answer away; but after what seemed like an eternity to Laika, Enzan finally answered, "If he wakes up, yes." There was another long pause and Enzan looked back up at Laika. "You want to come with the hospital with me to see if he has awakened?"

Laika slowly nodded indicating his desire. The two then left the police headquarters in silence.

* * *

The monitors gave off a steady, slow beeping sound as Enzan and Laika entered the still room. Rockman, who had been sitting on the table in holographic form, looked up as the two net savers walked in but did not say anything; though it was clear he was surprised to see Laika.

"No improvement?" Enzan asked. Rockman shook his head sadly. Enzan then took his seat in the new hospital room next to the table in the corner. Laika soon followed suit, taking the seat on the opposite end. The breeze from the nearby ocean blew gently into the room. It was such a nice day and it crossed Enzan's mind that it was such a shame that Netto was missing such a day.

The minutes passed with no activity. Before long Laika stood back up and went to Netto's bedside. He had not really seen the brunette when he had walked in and it startled him how small and frail the boy looked lying in the stark white hospital sheets with more tubes and wires attached to him than a central computer. He had never seen Netto so vulnerable nor he had never imagined that he could be so vulnerable. Netto made it so easy to believe that nothing could bring him down.

But reality always had to set in sooner or later.

"What are you doing here?" It was Rockman who finally broke the silence.

"Just some business," Laika said. "Nothing too important," he added, remembering Enzan's admonition on the way here to not let Netto or Rockman know anything about the present concerns of the net savers. As far as they were concerned, Netto and Rockman were civilians now and Netto surely did not need anymore worries or stress that would only worsen his condition. If he ever woke up, that is.

Rockman seemed to debate if what Laika was said was completely true or not but in the end he either decided that it was true or that he did not care, and so went back to watching his net-op's still form.

A few moments later an older man walked into the room. Upon seeing Enzan and Laika, he greeted the first teen. "Good afternoon, Ijuuin-san. How are you today? And who's your friend?" Ueda asked.

"I'm okay," Enzan said, though he was clearly not even close to the proclaimed state. "This is Laika. He's a Sharonian soldier and he's worked with Netto and I quite a bit." Enzan then turned to Laika to introduce the doctor: "Laika, this is Netto's doctor, Ueda-isha."

"Nice to meet you," Laika said.

"Same here," Ueda said before turning to Rockman. "Anything yet?"

Rockman shook his head. "Not yet."

Ueda frowned then pulled out his PET. "Tare, go get the recordings from Rockman's PET, just so we have them."

"Yes sir," came the response. Rockman disappeared for a moment to greet the doctor navi. Ueda in the meantime studied the various machines attacked to Netto as well as the data Tare sent from Rockman's PET.

"How bad is it?" Enzan asked after a few moments.

The doctor looked up sadly at the enquirer. "Netto-kun had been doing extremely well up until the fire. Most HBD patients have a higher rate of deterioration of the heart than Netto had. But because of the fire…" Ueda broke off, but then continued to force the situation out into words: "his heart is deteriorating at an excelled rate. He's running out of time."

"And the surgery?" Enzan asked.

"I'm pretty sure I'll make it," Ueda said.

"If there's anything…" Enzan began before being cut off.

"It's not resources, Ijuuin-san. It's time," Ueda said. "Believe me, I want Netto-kun to get through this just as much as you and I'm doing everything in my power. But, looking at reality, time is not on our side." Upon seeing Enzan's forlorn face, the doctor walked over to the young business man and put his steady hand on his shoulder. "But we _do_ have another thing on our side and it may be the most important thing." Enzan looked up at the doctor asking him to expand. The doctor smiled: "Netto's a fighter. He's not going to give up and that may be the thing that keeps him from dying. That's the only reason he's done so well up until now."

Enzan nodded. "Very well," he said.

"Hiro-sama. I have what you need," Tare said, now back in his own PET.

"Good," Ueda said and then turned to leave, but as he reached the door he looked back at Enzan. "We can at least try to have Netto-kun's optimism. That'd do us all good." Enzan nodded. Then, giving one last smile, the doctor left.

Enzan and Laika both returned to their seats, Enzan to continue the work he had brought and Laika to ponder everything he had just discovered, the most startling of which was that Netto was no just sick—he was dying. Apparently, every attempt possible was being made to keep Death from claiming the beloved bruentte, but the fact was that Death, at this moment, was still coming.

And so the minutes passed, which minutes turned into an hour and then another hour passed. Meiru had come in once for a little while but then had left again. A woman Laika assumed was Netto's mother had also come in, asking Rockman how he was before he returned the same question with obvious concern. She then smiled kindly at Laika and Enzan before taking a seat next to Netto's bed. Laika noticed how exhausted she looked as she took Netto's hand in hers and before long she had fallen asleep, her head resting softly beside her son's unmoving form.

The forlornness of the whole situation was too much and Laika stood to leave, but as he did the monitors began to show more activity. Laika instinctively turned around as Rockman and Enzan both looked up.

"What's wrong?" Enzan asked Rockman.

"Nothing. He's waking up," Rockman answered anxiously. "Netto-kun?"

The boy's eyes twitched slightly before squeezing tight as he tried to cough, which was made rather difficult by the tubes stuffed down his throat. The sudden movement and sounds caused for Haruka to awaken at this moment.

"Netto," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. She then turned to Rockman. "Call Yuuichiro-san," she requested.

"_Hai_," Rockman nodded. "As soon as I call Ueda-isha."

"Should we remove the tubes?" Laika, now at Netto's side, asked, seeing how hard it was for his friend to cough.

"No," Rockman said. "Wait for Dr. Ueda to get here. Netto needs those tubes right now to breathe right."

Laika nodded. He felt completely helpless as he watched his weakened friend struggle to do even such a simple task as cough. But soon Netto seem to get over the fit for the most part and the attempts to cough passed.

Netto slowly opened his eyes. "Rockman?" he called out weakly.

"Netto-kun," Rockman returned, having made the calls to the doctor and his father. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"What happened?" Netto asked weakly. Because of the tubes, it was the best anyone could do to just make out what he was saying.

"You collapsed in the fire," Rockman said. "Enzan got you out."

"Enzan?" Netto said blankly. The expression on his face clearly indicated he did not remember, but suddenly his eyes went wide and he shot up into a sitting position only to double over in pain.

"Netto!" Everyone in the room yelled in alarm.

"Lay back down," Haruka said as she laid her son back down.

"And try to take deep breathes," Rockman added, his eyes darting between his brother and his heart monitor, which was giving signals that indicated that he was bordering on an attack. Netto did as he was told and soon the monitor returned to normal for the most part. Though through the link, Rockman could tell that Netto's heart was still hurting. Not to mention, that he was clutching his heart, leading to the same conclusion.

"Did that boy get out?" Netto finally asked.

Enzan shook his head. "You're such an idiot, Netto. Yeah, he got out." Netto closed his eyes and gave a sigh of relief. "You got everyone out, Netto," Enzan said. "Just had to be the hero, didn't you?"

Enzan frowned when Netto did not respond. The brunette was obviously too tired and in too much pain to come back with some sort of retort. At that moment, Ueda came in followed by a couple of nurses. Everyone cleared the bed so Ueda could treat Netto. The nurses and Ueda worked busily around the teen and Haruka, Enzan and Laika watched in silence, though Haruka would through in occasional questions about Netto's welfare. A little later, Yuuichiro joined the party. Laika noted that it was a good thing the room was so large or else they would have been asked to leave. Not that is made any difference because Ueda soon had Netto removed to undergo tests and only Netto's parents were allowed to follow. Without any more purpose there, Enzan and Laika left, feeling both relief and fear for Netto's well-being.

* * *

Had he not been in so much pain, Netto would have been tossing and turning in his bed to try to find a comfortable position in the bed. But he was in pain, so he laid still, making only small movements to try and find comfort, despite the annoying voice in the back of his head that told him that he would never find comfort because it was impossible for a hospitable bed to be comfortable.

After another bout of trying to find the best position, Netto once more gave up and stared at the ceiling, sleep escaping him despite the fact he was dead tired, which, Netto realized, made no sense since he had just spent that last few days in a coma. Man, he hated being sick.

"Rockman?" he called, his voice penetrating the dark room.

"Yeah, Netto-kun?" Rockman's voice came back.

"Did I wake you?" Netto asked, afraid he had. He was pretty sure the navi hadn't had the rest cycles that he had needed and he would hate to disrupt one of the few the navi found time to fit in.

"No," the navi answered.

"Really?" Netto asked.

"Really. What's up?"

"Do you know why Laika's in Japan?" Netto asked, vaguely remembering that the older teen had been at his bedside when he had woken up.

"He said it was business," Rockman answered, "but nothing serious."

"Yeah right," Netto muttered.

"Why do you say that?" Rockman asked.

"Laika never comes for trivial business. Something important has to be happening for him to make the trip to Japan," Netto explained.

"That's true," Rockman answered, "but even if there is something going on, we can't do anything about it."

Netto frowned, though Rockman could not see it in the dark room. "That makes it all the worse. I hate being useless."

Rockman also frowned. "You're not useless, Netto-kun," Rockman reassured.

"But I can't help anyone," Netto said. "And I feel useless. That's the worst part of being sick."

"You'll get better," Rockman said after a slight pause. "You know what I learned today?"

"What?" Netto asked, his curiosity peaked.

"Enzan's funding research headed by Ueda-isha to find a cure for HBD," Rockman said.

"Really?" Netto asked.

Rockman nodded. "Yep."

"That guy," Netto muttered.

"I wonder why he did not mention it before. Actually, I don't think I was supposed to hear today either," Rockman contemplated.

"Enzan's just like that," Netto said, "He doesn't want to anyone to know he's actually a nice guy."

"That's true," Rockman said. "Very different from someone I know," he teased.

"Shut up, Rock," Netto said, smiling slightly.

"You really should be getting some sleep," Rockman said.

"Yes, Mr. Nag," Netto teased. "But that's easier said than done. I did just spend the last few days in a coma."

"Being in a coma and sleeping are two different things," Rockman said. "But even if it is hard to get to sleep, please at least try."

"Okay. But only if you do too," Netto returned.

"Okay. Good night, Netto-kun."

"Good night, nii-san. See you in the morning."


	24. Fighting for the Undernet

I'm on break and I'm taking full advantage of it. So here's chapter 24! This chapter is by far the longest so if you're in a hurry you may want to read it later. I worry about making chapters too long but I think there's enough going on that it won't be a boring read. Let me know if you agree! Okay, onto the next topic:

Videoman: REPLAY!

Movie: Serenade of Light does not own Rockman.exe.

Videoman: I just LOVE playing this!

Rest of the Darkloids: Man, that movie is getting SO boring. Who cares about the copyright laws anyway? /spies a mass of officials who deal with copyright laws/ WE CARE! WE CARE!

* * *

_Chapter 24: Fighting for the Undernet_

Rockman and Lightman blinked as the bright light that they had been engulfed in dissipated and their eyes adjusted to the stark contrast of the eerie darkness of the Undernet.

"You boys ready?" Mirageman asked as he walked up to the twins. Both nodded as they observed the small number of Eonians and Eon navis gathered prepared for battle, among which they recognized Mirageman, Slash, Red, and Yellow.

"I'm in a Myst-bustin' kind of mood," Lightman said, pumping his fist in the air.

"Good," Slash said. " 'Cause everyone else here is too." This was followed by a loud war cry from the group.

"Okay, then lets go," Rockman said.

"Wait," Mirageman said. "We're waiting for our scouts to return to give us the strength and numbers of the opposing forces."

"Well, you don't have to wait much longer," came a female voice from behind Mirageman. Mirageman turned to face a female yellow and white navi wearing a cape who looked a great deal like Dark except her cape was not as long as his and another female navi that looked much like a skier but had husky ears from her headband and a tail.

"Report, Agent Light, Master Sledd," Mirageman said.

"There's a large number attacking the secret square. Among them is Luckman, Jester, Mountainman, Bombman, Gaintman, and Slimeman" the one called Sledd said.

"And they are being led by my brother," Light added.

"That's inconvenient," Slash said.

"You're telling me," Light said.

"Do we have the twins?" Sledd asked. Lightman and Rockman both waved. Sledd smiled. "Great! Nice to meet you two! I'm Sledd, Echo's right-hand gal," the ice navi introduced.

"Rockman. And this is Lightman," Rockman said.

"I know. But then again, how'd you know that?" Sledd said. "Ready to go kick some Myst butt?"

"Let's just go already!" Lightman said.

"I like your style," Sledd grinned.

"He has a point. Let's go teach my brother a lesson!" Light said.

"Okay, everyone. You heard them!" Mirageman said. "Head out!"

Everyone gave a loud cheer and began to race toward the goal.

* * *

Dark laughed insanely as he saw the approaching force. "So Echo's court wants to play, do they?" he sneered.

"Oh yeah! Playmates!" Jester cheered.

"Bombman!" Dark called.

"Yes, sir?" Bombman asked.

"Gather the troops. It appears we have some guests," Dark said as he watched the approaching army.

"Yes, sir!" Bombman said as he took of to carry out the order. Before long, Myst's army was gathered for the confrontation. Echo's team stopped as they reached the line of Myst followers.

"Dark! Give in now or we'll be forced to delete you all!" Mirageman said.

"Oh, really?" Dark sneered. His subordinates snickered behind him. "Shut up!" Dark yelled and the snickering stopped. He then turned back to Mirageman. "So just how do you plan to stop us?"

"Dark! Do you really want to do this?" Dark looked surprised as his light half stepped forward.

"Li…Light!?" he sputtered. "Wh…what are you doing here!?"

"Stopping you, _aniki_!" Light yelled. "You don't have to do this! Please stop!" she pleaded.

"And if I don't?" he asked, recovering his bearing somewhat.

Light lowered into a fighting stance. "Then _I'll_ stop you!"

Dark laughed. "You!? Don't make me laugh. You can't beat me! I'm your older brother!"

Light grimaced, then brought her hands together. "LIGHT RAY!" she called out as beam of light streamed from her hands and headed toward the dark navi.

"DARK RAY!" he countered, sending a beam of darkness back. The two attacks hit, struggling against one another before causing a large explosion. The forces all jumped back. Once the dust from the explosion settled, everyone could see the two struggling with swords of their respective elements.

"This war is horrible," Lightman heard Yellow comment quietly as he watched the two siblings fight. "It has turned family member against family member."

Lightman frowned as he realized that Yellow and his siblings were in the same boat as was Echo herself. He remembered how hard it had been to fight against Dark Rockman when he had not yet realized that Dark Rockman even existed. And it had never gotten to the point that these navis and Eonians now faced. His fist clenched: this had to stop and it had to stop _now_.

"LIGHTBUSTER!" Lightman yelled as he let out the series of shots from his buster at the nearest Myst follower, Gaintman.

"That's the idea, Lightman!" Sledd called out. " 'Kay everyone! ATTACK! Frozen shuriken!"

Echo's forces led out a strong war cry and released their own attacks. In a matter of seconds, everyone was locked in with one or more opponent. Mirageman had gone in to help Light defeat Dark as it was becoming clear Dark was the superior fighter. Lightman and Rockman in the meantime were fighting several other navis and Eonians, including the elusive Slimeman, who was either dodging or absorbing all their attacks.

"Get me, get me, glop," the navi teased as he twisted his slimy body into a position that evaded the blaster shots of the twins. The twins had already defeated several other targets but were quickly becoming frustrated with this one annoying opponent. Slimeman was also making it possible for others to attack the brothers and because of their frustration with Slimeman, several of the attacks were getting through, draining their hit points.

"This is fun, glop, glop," the green mass of slime cheered. "SLIME SEAL!" Several masses of slime flew toward Rockman and Lightman, who just barely managed to dodge, though Rockman landed just within range of an Eonians sharp blade, who took advantage of the position.

"Rockman!" Lightman called out as he summoned his own blade and stabbed through the offending navi and sliced through several others for good measure. Rockman clutched his side as Lightman helped him up.

"We really need a plan," Rockman grunted.

"No, really? I didn't realize," Lightman said sarcastically. "If only we knew this guys weak point…"

"Rockbuster!" the darker blue navi let out the series of shots, which Slimeman just opened holes in his body for the shots to pass through. Lightman and Rockman both grimaced.

"Is that all you have, glop?" Slimeman teased. "SLIME SEAL!" Again the navi sent out masses of glop.

"AREA STEAL!" Lightman activated the chip and warped him and Rockman out of the way.

"Maybe if we blow him to smithereens," Lightman suggested.

"It's worth a shot," Rockman said.

"HIGH CANNON! TRIPLE DOWNLOAD!" the twin navis called out. The cannons formed on each had and the familiar light of the program advance appeared as they raised their hands above their head. "GIGA CANNON!" The burst of light shot toward the offending navi who was too slow to get out of the way in time. The attack took a direct and when the smoke cleared Slimeman was no where to be seen.

Lightman brushed his arm against his head in relief. "Finally!"

"Is that so, glop, glop?" the voice of the more than annoying navi echoed above the sounds of battle that surrounded them.

"Look!" Rockman pointed to a small mass of green slime as it began to move. Within moments, the navi known as Slimeman stood before them once again.

"Real close, glop, glop," Slimeman said, "but no dice, glop."

"How the heck do we defeat this guy!?" Lightman said. "If not even a double program advance worked...!"

"SLIME BIND!" The messy green navi flew toward the twins and wrapped them within his mess. "This is the end, glop, glop."

"BLIZZARD!" The white flurry of snowflakes flew toward Slimeman who withdrew, releasing the twins as they fell to the floor coughing.

Sledd landed gracefully next to them. "You sure picked a hard opponent. There's only one way to defeat him…"

"STOP, glop!" Slimeman yelled.

"Why? Don't you want them to know your weakness?" Sledd teased.

"I said STOP, glop! SLIME SEAL!" Slimeman released the attack in desperation.

"FROZEN WIND!" Sledd released the frozen attack, stopping the globs in their path. The frozen globs fell to the floor, shattering as they made impact.

"Ice! Ice is his weakness!" Rockman said.

"Bingo!" Sledd said. "Okay, enjoy! I see some other soldiers that need my help. Good luck, boys!"

"Leave it to us!" Rockman said. "Ready, Lightman?"

"Yeah! Let's do it!"

"ICE WAVE! DOWNLOAD!"

Slimeman looped to avoid the attack. "Missed me, missed me, glop, glop!"

"Then how 'bout this!" Lightman said. "ICE TOWER! DOWNLOAD!"

The attack hit and caused damage but was not enough to cause Slimeman to even log-out.

Lightman and Rockman grimaced. "We need to hit him all at once, but we can't use a slow attack or one he could dodge. I don't think Freeze Bomb will work either," Rockman assessed.

"Iceman would be handy here," Lightman commented.

"Hey, that's it!" Rockman said as he took off. "Stall Slimeman for a moment!"

"What!? O…okay," Lightman said, not sure what Rockman was doing.

"Where'd your look-alike go, glop, glop? Did he give up, glop?" Slimeman asked. "SLIME SEAL."

Lightman dodged. "When will you learn that won't work? FREEZE BOMB! ICE CUBE! DOUBLE DOWNLOAD!" Lightman released the attacks. Slimeman dodged both, though the freeze bomb did freeze Slimeman into one spot. Not that it did too much good since Slimeman was so expandable and flexible: he had not moved spots much in this battle yet anyway. But Slimeman cursed regardless.

"BLIZZARD!"

Slimeman was caught completely unaware and was frozen over by the attack.

"NOW, LIGHTMAN!" Rockman called!

"Right! Samurai sword! Download!" The chip data downloaded in Lightman's hand and Lightman took the sword and slashed the frozen Slimeman. The evil navi logged out. Lightman turned to his brother. "Sledd-cross. Nice."

"Well, it did the trick," Rockman said, rubbing the back of his head.

Lightman grinned. "Well, who's next on our list?"

The two looked over as Dark began to laugh manically, Mirageman and Light both collapsed at his feet. Rockman and Lightman looked at each other, the answer to Lightman's casual question now answered.

"DARK!"

The dark navi stopped laughing as he turned his attention to the two that had called his name.

"You two? Do you think you can beat me?" he asked, taunting evident in his voice.

"You're going down!" Lightman called.

"Really? Let's see what you think after my DARK RAY!" Dark released the dark beam of energy toward the two. Both just managed to jump out of the way.

"Yeesh! That's as strong as a giga cannon!" Lightman said.

Dark laughed. "And that is just the beginning!" Dark said. "But you know, I'm more interesting in finding out something else about you two. UNITY BARRIER!"

Suddenly the ground began to rumbled. Myst's forces began to back away as if they knew what was about to happen.

"Everyone! Stay on guard!" Slash yelled out. But there was nothing they could do as a solid barrier surrounded Echo's forces and encased them in its transparent dome.

"What is this!?" Lightman called out.

"It's a barrier sealing your friends in. Can you break it before time runs out?" Dark pointed to the top of the dome and the twins' eyes widen as they saw a bomb begin to count down.

"NORTH WIND! DOWNLOAD!" Lightman released the attack that normally brought barriers down. But this time, the attack did nothing of the sort as it hit the sides without any effect.

Dark laughed. "Tick tock, tick tock. Oh what will the twins do?" he taunted.

"Rei! Beam! Can you transport everyone out?" Rockman asked desperately.

"No! Our powers are sealed off!" Beam cried. "This is Eonian technology!"

"Then how do we break it!?" Lightman asked.

Dark laughed again. "Now that's the million zenny question, isn't it? Hurry and figure it out or your friends are doomed."

"Please, _aniki_! Stop this!" the battered Light pleaded.

Dark frowned. "I cannot show favoritism, _imotou_. You choose this path," Dark said.

"_ANIKI!_" Light fell to her knees, crying. Red took her in his arms.

"That's cold," Red said.

"Myst is the key to the new future," Dark said. "Sacrifices must be made. In the meantime, let's have some fun. DARK SWORD!" Dark leaped at Lightman and Rockman, who leapt out of the way.

"We don't have time to do this!" Rockman said.

"Did you think I'd just stand aside and let you get everyone out?" Dark sneered. "Because if you did, you were dead wrong, 'dead' being the key word here. Rockman, wouldn't you like to join your net-op in the afterlife?"

Rockman fist cletched. "You're heartless. Ice blade!" The still Sledd-crossed Rockman leapt at Dark who easily pushed the smaller navi away with his own blade.

"Rockman!" Lightman called out in alarm. "That's it! You're dead meat! Style-change! Heat Guts!" The bright light associated with the change surrounded Lightman. When it broke away, the red themed navi raised his transformed buster. "Fire Buster!"

Dark easily jumped out of the way, laughing manically. "You're so weak. You'll never break the barrier! SHADOW BLESSING!" The shadows behind Lightman and Rockman rose up and hit the navis unaware, throwing them against a couple of pillars in the area. Rockman's cross and Lightman's style change came undone.

"Yeah! Show them!" Luckman cheered.

The other Myst navis also cheered their leader on, Gaintman's deep voice booming: "Crush! Crush!"

Dark laughed. "How does defeat taste?" Dark asked, his eyes glinting with pleasure. "Please tell me, as I've never had it."

Both navi's struggled to look up. "You…" Lightman said.

"HELL'S ROLLING!" Dark barely had time to jump out of the way. He turned to look at the top of another pillar as Forte landed gracefully on top.

"Nice of you to joining us, Forte," Dark sneered.

"Your other team has fallen," Forte said emotionally. "Now it's your turn."

Dark laughed. "You couldn't even keep the Undernet from falling under our power. Are you so sure you can beat me, so called 'Black Shadow'?"

Forte sneered. "I'm sure. Dark-Arm Blade!" Forte summoned the blades of dark energy and leapt at Dark with unnatural speed. Dark countered with his own blade.

Rockman and Lightman looked at each other nodded. They then raced to the barrier sealing their friends inside.

"Stand back!" Rockman commanded. The navis and Eonians inside did as they were told.

"Hi-Cannon. Triple Download!" Rockman called. "PROGRAM ADVANCE! GIGA CANNON!"

In the meantime, Lightman summoned five spreaders. "PROGRAM ADVANCE! HYPER-BURST!"

Both blue navis released the deadly attacks. Both attacks hit the shield with full force but when the smoke cleared, there was clearly no damage.

"Shoot!" Lightman cursed.

Dark laughed. "Nice try," he sneered. "DARK RAY!" The twins screamed as the attack hit them, having no time to dodge.

Lightman and Rockman grimaced as they looked up at Dark from their position on the ground. "You…you'll pay…" Lightman choked out. Dark laughed but then began to choke himself as Forte grabbed his neck.

"Leave him to me," Forte said. "Time's running out."

Rockman nodded and the two struggled to stand up. However, having received more damage, Rockman collapsed again just as Forte hit Dark with an earth-breaker.

"Rockman!" Lightman's cries were joined by two other familiar voices. Blues and Searchman landed next to Rockman to help him up.

"BLUES-SAMA!" Jester squealed excitedly as her evil comrades held her back.

"What the heck is going on?" Blues asked as he noticed Forte and Dark fighting it out.

"We need to get everyone out of that barrier before the bomb goes off," Lightman said as he pointed at the bomb ticking away. Less then 5 minutes remained.

"We've tried a North Wind and a double Program Advance, but neither made a scratch," Rockman explained as he stood up with the help of the other three navis.

"Maybe a four-way program advance?" Laika's voice suggested over the intercom.

"It's worth a shot," Lightman said. " 'Cause I can't think of anything else."

The four navis took there positions.

"GIGA CANNON!" Lightman summoned.

"HYPER-BURST!" Rockman called.

"DREAM SWORD!" Blues let out.

"INFINITY VULCAN!" Searchman yelled.

Again the attacks hit full force but the results were the same as the last attempt.

"What are we going to do!?" Lightman yelled frustrated. "We can't let it end here!"

"Watch out!"

The twins had just enough time to jump out of the way of a stray Dark Ray thanks to Mirageman's warning. They watched as Forte attacked again the battered Dark. He hit him with his Dark-Arm Blade. Dark fell to the ground, unable to get back up.

Forte turned to Rockman. "Well?" he asked. Rockman shook his head. "Let's try one more time."

"Why are you so concerned?" Lightman snapped.

"I honor my truces," Forte said simply. Lightman grumbled but again stood prepared to unleash yet another program advance. Again each navi released a program advance, joined with Forte's Darkness Overload. Again, there was no result.

Lightman hit the barrier in frustration. "What are we going to do? Just a minute left…"

"Please, twins, you have to do something," an Eonian that neither Rockman or Lightman knew plead.

"We know you can do it," Beam said.

"We believe in you," Rei added, pleading in her voice.

"Our faith is in you," Slash added.

"Go for it, Twins! Fight!" Sledd said, forcing a large smile to encourage the two.

Rockman and Lightman looked at each other.

"No matter what we've done…" Lightman began.

"...we've done it together…" Rockman said. They grinned, new power rising within them.

"And together…we've always won!"

Suddenly, the twins both began to glow.

"It can't be…" Dark muttered.

The counter read 10…

"Yeah! Go for it!" Sledd cheered.

...9…

"What the heck is going on!?" Blues asked astounded as the light around Lightman and Rockman grew.

...8…

"It the power of the Twins of Light!" Rei said excitedly.

...7…

Forte just stared on, watching the new power manifest itself.

...6…

Together, the two glowing twin navi's raised their hands, light growing within their palms.

...5…

"They figured it out…" Dark muttered as he struggled to stand. Luckman and Jester rushed to his side to help steady him.

...4…

The light in the twins' palms continued to grow…

...3…

The twins opened their hands completely and the light was unleashed…

...2…

The light hit the barrier. Everyone watched amazed as the barrier dissolved under the intense power of the light.

...1…

The barrier collapse and the bomb began to fade out of existence.

...0.

The soldiers of Echo's court lead out a loud cheer: "Three cheers for the Twins of Light!"

Sledd jumped on the two twins, who had ceased to glow, and wrapped them into a tight hug. "You did it! I knew you could! Way to go!"

Lightman and Rockman looked at each other.

"What…what just happened?" Lightman asked.

"I have no idea…" Rockman said. "But part of it felt like we were in full syncro."

"And the other part?" Lightman asked.

Rockman shook his head. "Got me."

"Twins."

Everyone fell silent as Dark addressed the two blue heroes.

"You win," he said simply. He and his followers began to log out. "But this is only the beginning. This is only the beginning…" With that, Dark and the rest disappeared from view.

"We won't let you win, _aniki_," Light said.

"That's right," Slash said. "But right now, it's time we all go home and rest."

"That's a good plan," Mirageman voiced. "See you two later," he said to Rockman and Lightman. He then turned to Blues and Searchman, "And thanks for your help too," he added.

"No thanks required," Searchman said. He then turned to the twins, "and you two have a lot of explaining to do."

Lightman stuck out his tongue but Rockman pushed him back and nodded. Blues and Searchman then logged out.

"You can't tell them too much," Light said.

"I know," Rockman said.

Lightman smiled. "Don't worry. Your secrets are safe. I'm a pretty good liar."

"That's not necessarily a good thing," Rockman muttered. Everyone laughed. Then the Maidens approached the twins and in a flash of light, the twins disappeared, returning home.

* * *

"King-sama!"

The Eonian who had been sitting casually on his throne in the dark room looked up to see a heavily damaged Dark kneeling before him. "What has happened to ye?" he asked.

"Our fears are being realized, sire," Dark said. "The Twins of Light have joined Echo's party."

"Does Lord Myst know of this as of yet?" King questioned.

"Isn't it your job to tell him?" Dark asked.

"Ah, o yay. That is correct," King said. He stood up but paused. "Are ye sure?" he asked Dark.

Dark nodded. "I am positive. They broke the Unity Barrier."

"I see," King muttered. "Very well. It shall be known by Myst."

"Any orders, King-sama?" Dark asked.

"Nay, not as of yet," King answered. "Nevertheless, be on alert as Myst will initiate an attack on thy and ours foes as soon as the news is heard."

"Yes, sire. Long live thee and Lord Myst."


	25. A New Friend

Now taking ideas for ways to write this line creatively: I do not own Rockman.exe. Never did, never will. Though Rockman and I do have the same birthday. No joke.

* * *

_Chapter 25: A New Friend_

Rockman stretched as he awoke, feeling more refreshed than he had in a long time. That was before he looked at the clock, and when he did, he nearly had a heart attack: 10:21! He NEVER slept in that late. And with Netto-kun sick…how could he let himself sleep in so much!?

"Good morning, Rockman-san," a gentle voice said. Rockman whirled around and sighed in relief when he saw it was only a nurse navi. "Sleep well?" she asked.

"I've never slept in like that," Rockman said embarrassed. "I shouldn't be slacking off like this."

"You're not slacking off," the nurse reassured. "You've never been under so much stress and I know you haven't been getting the rest cycles like you should have. And don't worry; Netto-san is still asleep."

Rockman smiled sheepishly. "Thanks for watching him," he said.

"No problem. It's my job," she said. "And if you ever need to rest, just call me. I know you don't like letting other people take care of your net-op, but you need your rest cycles."

"Thanks," Rockman said to the nurse navi.

"Well, now that you're charged, I'll head out," she said. "Remember to call."

Rockman nodded and projected himself into the real world. The nurse navi had been correct about Netto being asleep. Rockman smiled to himself, comforted by the fact that his brother was lying still because he was sleeping and not because he was in a coma. Who knew he would ever be glad at the fact that Netto was sleeping in?

Rockman's head perked up as he heard small footsteps run into the room and barely caught a glimpse of brown hair ducking under Netto's bed.

"Hello?" Rockman called out. There was no answer. "Hello!" Rockman called again, this time louder but not loud enough to wake Netto. Not that waking the him should have been a big concern—that boy could sleep through an atomic bomb; but Rockman always had been on the cautious side, especially where his twin brother was concerned, so therefore he still maintained his voice at a decent level. "I know you're under there! Come on out," Rockman continued, putting authority into his voice: "If you surprise Netto-kun, he'll probably have a heart attack."

The head of a boy about 10 years of age popped up. "Really?" he asked shyly. Rockman nodded. The boy sighed and stood up. "Sorry." He then looked around and put his finger to his lips as if to keep the blue navi quiet. "I'm trying to hide from the nurses," he said in a hushed voice.

"Why?" Rockman asked.

"Because I don't want to be poked with a bunch of needles," the boy confided.

"It's for your benefit," Rockman said, feeling a slight sense of déjà vu.

"But it hurts," the boy whined.

"You get used to it after a while." The boy jumped and looked at Netto, who had apparently woken and decided to join in the conversation. "It's the getting to the 'after a while' that's the hard part."

"How are you feeling this morning, Netto-kun?" Rockman asked.

Netto grinned. "Great," he said but after a thoughtful pause added, "well, comparatively anyway. You? Sleep well?"

"Uh..er yeah," Rockman said, turning slightly red from embarrassment at having slept in.

"Why the face, Rock?" Netto asked.

"I…it's nothing," Rockman said. "Just had a startle when I woke up. That's all."

"What kind of startle?" Netto asked curiously.

"Nothing, Netto-kun. It doesn't matter," Rockman insisted.

"Come on, Rockman," Netto complained. "I'll find out sooner or later."

"Okay, fine," Rockman said, turning even redder. "But don't laugh. I don't want you to have a coughing fit or worse, a heart attack. But I slept in on accident."

Netto's eyes went wide. "You? Sleep in!?" Netto covered his mouth as if to hold back a chuckle but let out a couple of painful coughs instead.

"Netto-kun!" Rockman cried in alarm.

Netto-kun took in deep breathes and then turned to Rockman forcing a smile. "Sorry. Are you really that tired, Rockman?"

"_Uun,_" Rockman shook his head. "I feel really good now."

"But that's now…" Netto frowned.

"Don't worry about me, Netto-kun," Rockman reassured.

"Still…" Netto said sadly. How could he not care about his brother and best friend in the entire world? The one who he feared the most to leave if he died?

"I wish I had a navi like Rockman," the boy said. Both Rockman and Netto looked at the boy who they had forgotten was still waiting by Netto's bed. Now he was leaning on Netto's bed, looking longingly at the blue navi hologram.

"Do you have a navi?" Netto asked.

"No, not yet," the boy answered. "My parents said I could get one when I turned 12. But that's so far away!"

"That is a long time to wait," Netto said sympathetically. "By the way, my name's Hikari Netto. What's yours?"

The boy beamed brightly. "My name is Kon Botan."

"Nice to meet you, Botan. So are you staying at the hospital for awhile?" Netto asked.

The boy shook his head sadly. "Dunno. I had a heart attack last night so my parents brought me here. The doctor's don't know what's wrong, especially since I'm too young to have a heart attack."

"I'm sorry," Netto said.

"Me too," Botan said. "I've never even been in a hospital before."

"Lucky," Netto said. "I manage to end up in a hospital quite a bit, both for others and myself. I hate them."

"Do you get sick a lot?" Botan asked.

Netto shook his head. "Nah. I rarely get sick. I just end up getting hurt a lot."

"Well considering," Rockman added, "I'm personally surprised you don't end up getting hurt a lot more than you do."

Netto rubbed the back of his head. "That's true."

"What did you do that you got hurt so much," Botan asked.

Netto brought his hand down. "I was a Net Saver before I got sick."

Botan's eyes went big. "Really? A real Net Saver?" the younger brunette asked excitedly. Both Rockman and Netto smiled.

"Yep," Netto voiced.

The PET rang. "Ah, Netto-kun. It's Enzan." Rockman quickly scanned the sent message before continuing. "He and Laika are headed over."

"Who are they?" Botan asked.

"They're a couple of friends of mine. They don't have lives so they visit me everyday. At least Enzan anyway. If Laika did I'd be concerned since he lives all the way in Sharo," Netto explained while Rockman rolled his eyes at Netto's description of his fellow Net Savers.

Just then three people walked into the room: a nurse, a man and a woman. Netto eyed Botan as he quickly ducked under the bed.

"Ah, Netto. How are you this morning?" the nurse asked.

Netto shrugged. "I feel pretty good today."

"That's good to hear. Have you by chance seen a boy about ten with brown hair and brown eyes? His name is Kon Botan and he's been dodging the nurses all morning. He's been avoiding tests," the nurse explained.

"Sounds like someone I know," Rockman said glaring at Netto. Netto shrugged and smiled at his navi in response who returned the smile.

"Haven't seen him," Netto said.

"Netto-kun!" Rockman scolded. He then turned to the nurse and pointed down. "He's under the bed."

"Ah, Rock. Just trying to help the fellow victim," Netto teased.

"Haha, very funny," Rockman said sarcastically.

The nurse stood confused looking at the pair, unable to decide if she should be mad at the patient or to take Netto's cover-up for the other boy as a joke. The only Netto she had dealt with before was the unresponsive, still figure of Netto when he had been in a coma. No one had prepared her for the awake one. In the end she decided to take it as a joke, even if an unpleasant one, and knelt down to look under the bed.

"Hello, Botan-kun," she said softly. "Ready to take the tests?" Botan vigorously shook his head. "It's not that bad, Botan," the nurse reassured.

The man, presumably Botan's father also knealt down: "We won't know what's wrong if you don't let the doctors do the tests. Besides, I think we've bothered this boy enough."

"I don't mind," Netto said.

"You're not helping," Rockman admonished.

"Is everything okay?" Enzan asked as he and Laika came into the increasingly crowded room.

"Yeah. There's a kid under my bed who's afraid to take the tests," Netto explained. "Can't blame him though. They are boring."

"Presuming they are the same ones," Laika pointed out.

"They are," Ueda said as he now joined the room. "Good morning, everyone. How are you feeling, Netto-kun?"

"Good," Netto said.

"Good to hear. Now, Botan-kun, please come on out," Ueda said.

Netto frowned and then slowly got out of bed.

"NETTO!" Rockman, Enzan, Laika and Ueda all scolded. "Stay in bed!"

"Take a chill pill, everyone," Netto said as he slowly lowered himself to the floor. "Botan," Netto said softly.

"Yeah," Botan whispered, huddled under the bed.

"The nurses are only going to help you. I got through them, see?" Netto said. "They were boring and a little scary at first, but the nurse is right, they aren't that bad."

"You were scared?" Botan asked, looking up at Netto.

Netto hesitated then nodded. "Yeah. I…I still am. I don't want to die. But everyone's making sure that doesn't happen. They're doing the same for you too but you have to help them if they are going to help you. Besides," Netto gave the reassuring grin he was so well known for, "you family will be there for you. Rockman and I will too if you want."

"Really?" Botan asked.

"Really, really," Netto said.

Botan gave a small smile. "I'd like that." Botan then came out from under the bed. His parents hugged him.

"It's okay to be scared," his mother told him.

"Unless you're Netto," Enzan joked. "Right?"

"Right," Netto said as he struggled to get back up. Both Enzan and Laika rushed to his side and helped him up. It startled them how light he was.

"But I thought you just said…" Botan started.

"It's sarcasm," Netto said. "I really do get scared. But if it gets out of this room, I'll die and haunt the person who let it leak forever and ever."

"Netto!" Enzan scolded, "I told you you're death jokes aren't funny!"

"Now the question is, does Enzan get scared?" Netto teased, completely ignoring Enzan's admonition. "Or better yet, Laika!"

Ueda chuckled. "I see your spirits are up. But still, you need to be in bed. Nurse, will you help him back in while I take Botan-kun in to start the tests?" He looked down and winked at Botan. "Hopefully in won't take that long."

"_Hai_," the nurse said and then, with Enzan's and Laika's help, helped Netto back into the bed.

Netto glared at Enzan and Laika. "If you ever tell anyone you had to help me into bed, I'll make you pay," he said, but his glare immediately turned into a friendly smile.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Laika said.

"Though I do need something to pay back for that last blackmail," Enzan said coolly as if he was not making a joke. "But I guess it'd be too mean to pick on a sick kid."

"I'm not that sick," Netto retorted.

Enzan raised on eyebrow. "So you want me to tell everyone?" he asked, seemingly completely serious.

"You're twisted, Enzan," Netto said. He then turned to Botan as he left the room with the nurse, doctor and his parents. "See you later, Botan," Netto said, giving a thumb up. Botan returned the thumb up and gave a small smile.

"He'll be back later today," Ueda said. "If you don't know, you guys are roommates. Because of the fire at the other hospital, there aren't enough rooms for each patient to have their own room."

"Cool," Netto said. "Though I feel sorry for you 'cause I've been sleeping a lot these last few days."

"You've been in a coma for the past few days, Netto," Laika pointed out.

"I guess that's true," Netto said. "Anyway, see you later, Botan. Good luck."

" 'Kay. Thanks Netto-san," Botan said. The nurse then pushed Botan out in the wheelchair, followed closely by Ueda and Botan's parents.

"You'll have fun in that room," Ueda said to Botan as they walked down the hall. "Netto's really friendly. But you may have to be careful because I've quickly learned that Netto will act well even when he's not. Today he was in high spirits but he was still really tired and weak."

"He is really nice," Botan said smiling slightly; but, then the smile turned to a frown. "Is Netto dying?"

Ueda frowned and nodded sadly. "Yes." Again there was a pause as the group continued to walk down the hall. "But…" Ueda began, a small smile creeping onto his face, "but there is a lot you can learn from him. He has a very rare and deadly heart disease but because he's so optimistic he's already lived longer than was expected. Not only that, but there is a chance he will live. Netto-kun is probably one of the most optimistic person in the world and having a positive attitude makes all the difference in the world."

Botan smiled. "I'm glad he's my roommate. It'll be like having a brother." The adults all looked at each other and then smiled. There were sunny moments during rainy days after all.


	26. Target: Rockman and Lightman!

I realized I don't know a lot of chip names or attacks when Rockman is crossed or beast-out and they're hard to find in a nice layout on the net therefore there may be mistakes in regards to attack names in this chapter. Please feel free to correct me. Also, if anyone knows of a site where chips and attacks are nicely laid out please let me know. It'd be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I've developed a new navi just for this line. Plug in! REPLAYMAN.EXE! Transmission!

Replayman.exe: Serenade of Light has no ownership in Rockman.exe. This story is completely fan-made and is in no way associated with CAPCOM or any other companies or people who do have the ownership rights to our favorite blue bomber.

* * *

_Chapter 26: Target: Rockman and Lightman!_

"I see," the navi said quietly. He stood quietly as he looked over the true Eon Net, once a bright happy place that was now steeped in shadows.

"What be thy orders, Lord Myst?" King asked.

Myst seemed to think the matter over carefully before stating his order: "Reinstate the Elimination List and at the top: Lightman and Rockman. Put a price on their heads so high that navis would die to have it—because they very well may be doing just that."

"Lord?" King asked.

Myst turned to look at the Eonian royal. "Those twins _must _be stopped. Your own legend states it."

"As thee wish, Lord Myst," King said as he shuffled of to execute the order.

Myst smiled an evil grin. "Nice move, sis. But familiarity has led you to underestimate me. You should have just given up but because of your foolish move more will be deleted and killed, starting with your precious twin warriors." Without warning, Myst lifted his hand and sent off a powerful blast, blowing a building about a mile away, and everything in between, to smithereens. Myst smiled and his eyes narrowed with glee. "They'll be sorry they ever heard of the name Myst."

* * *

"Get out of my way!"

"Get out of MY way!"

Rockman shook his head and smiled as he watched Lightman and Tomahawkman push and shove each other as they raced to the park that the group of friends had designated as the meeting spot. The twins had met Tomahawkman on the way and Lightman had promptly challenged the Native American-themed navi to a race, which Tomahawkman gladly accepted with full enthusiasm.

Myst had been inactive for the past couple of days so Rockman and Lightman were enjoying the days of peace. Yesterday they had spent the day helping Yuuichiro at the lab, the whole while dodging the detailed questions of their father and others about what they knew about Myst. Of course they answered but they made sure to not reveal too many details. At the moment their interrogators were appeased but both were sure that they also knew that they knew more.

Today the twins had taken the day of to spend with their friends. There was a new area of Internet City that had just opened up and the group had decided yesterday to check it out. Lightman recalled Meiru's, Roll's and Yaito's excitement to check out the new shopping, hearing that some of the very best shops would be making their debut in the new area. Lightman personally just wanted to check out some of the new game center where navis could participate in role-playing games. Of course he had already challenged Tomahawkman to a round.

"I win!" Lightman boasted proudly as they reached the park.

"What are you talking about!?" Tomahawkman burst out. "I totally won!"

"No way!" Lightman countered. "I clearly won! What do you say, Rockman?"

"Huh? What?" Rockman asked as he was snapped out of his thoughts.

"Who won?" Lightman said.

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't paying attention," Rockman said.

"Something on your mind?" Lightman asked.

Rockman shook his head. "Not really," he said.

"Okay," Lightman said. He then turned to Tomahawkman. "I still won."

"Don't get full of yourself!" the other navi said forcefully. "It was so me!"

"Cut it out you two!" Rockman snapped, finally urked at the two's bickering. "It doesn't really matter!"

"Fine. We'll just settle this at the game center!" Lightman said.

"Fine by me!" Tomahawkman said. "Then we can settle that battle we never got to finish too!"

Rockman rolled his eyes. He then noticed Iceman, Aquaman and Glyde approaching. "Hey!" Rockman called out and waved.

"Hello, Rockman, Lightman, Tomahawkman," Glyde politely greeted.

"Hey," both Lightman and Tomahawkman quickly greeted before continuing on with their latest bickering competition.

Rockman shook his head. "Those two just don't quit. At least they get along."

"Could have fooled me," Glyde joked. Rockman, Aquaman and Iceman all chuckled.

"Oi!" Gutsman called as he, Roll, and Rush walked up.

Rockman waved back. "Hey guys!"

"How's everyone doing?" Roll asked.

Rockman shrugged as he smiled. "Can't complain," he said.

"We're you've been?" Roll asked Rockman. "It's been hard to get a hold of you."

"Lightman and I have been pretty busy," Rockman said. Roll gave a jealous humph at the mention of "Lightman and I". "We'll probably be keeping pretty busy too," Rockman continued. "Lightman and I are back on the Net Saver force."

"Really?" Glyde asked. "That's exciting."

"Yeah," Lightman chipped in, breaking the argument with Tomahawkman for the moment. He then turned to the other slyly. "Beat that, Tomahawkman!"

"I've worked with the Net Savers lots of times!" Tomahawkman countered, starting another round of challenges.

Rockman sighed. "There they go again." He looked back at the others. "Ready to go?"

"I'm ready, desu!" Iceman said.

"Me too, pyuu!" Aquaman chirped in.

Rockman nodded and walked up behind his twin and started to drag him from his argument. Everyone chuckled as Lightman yelped in confusion.

A blast resounded through the area as Lightman and Rockman were thrown back by the explosion.

An evil chuckling filled the smoke filled area. As the smoke cleared a gray navi could be seen to be the source of the laughter.

"Who the heck are you!?" Lightman snapped as he and Rockman stood up from being blown back.

"The one to delete you!" the navi said. "Myst-sama has placed a high price on your heads, Twins of Light!"

"Did he say 'Myst'?" Tomahawkman asked.

"Who's dat, de-gustu?" Gutsman asked.

"These guys interrupted Lightman and mine's battle," Tomahawkman said. "I think they also said they attacked the hospital that Netto was in!"

"What!?" Glyde bursts out. "That's horrible!"

"Let's make them pay!" Dekao's voice came in. "Get ready for battle, Gutsman!"

"Right, de-gutsu," Gutsman said.

"Not likely," a female voice rang in. "This battle is only for the twins and myself," a female orange and yellow navi said as she floated down.

"What's that!?" Dingo said. "Take that navi down, Tomahawkman!"

"Right!" Tomahawkman said as he charged for. He ran headfirst into a barrier, initiating chuckles from the opposing female.

"I told you this battle was only for myself and the twins!" the navi said.

"Twirl!" the gray navi called out. "Stay out of this! The reward is mine!"

Twirl glared at the other navi. "Don't make me laugh, Stormman. A navi like you!? The one getting Myst-sama's praise is me! Ribbon Whip!" Twirl let out an orange ribbon, which headed straight for Stormman.

"Thunder Blaze!" Stormman called, releasing the electrical attack.

Twirl smirked as the ribbon cancelled out the Thunder Blaze before hitting Stormman. "Ribbon Bind!" Twirl called before the other navi had time to recover. Pink and orange ribbons came out of the ground around Stormman and wrapped tightly around him, causing the navi to be deleted. Twirl turned to Rockman and Lightman and grinned. "Now it's your turn." She then turned to their friends: "And if you try to help them you'll also end up like Stormman. I don't want to have to delete more navis than I have to."

"You won't be deleting any more!" Rockman called out. "Including us!"

Twirl grinned as she turned back to them. "I don't think so, honey. Unfortunately for you, Myst wants you dead and has offered quit a pretty price for your heads."

"He won't be getting them," Lightman said. "Lightbuster!"

Twirl warped away and out of reach of Lightman's shots.

"She's fast!" Rockman said alarmed.

"Not only that but I'm powerful too," she said. "Ribbon Whip!" Again the orange whip appeared in the assassin navi's hand and moved toward the twins at an alarming rate. The navi's dodged the attack as the ribbon hit the ground causing it to shatter.

"Fumikamizan," Lightman called out just before appearing where Twirl was and slashed with his swords. However, she easily dodged the attack as she again warped out of reach.

"Area steal! Samurai Sword!" Rockman called only to have the same results.

Twirl laughed. "That's essentially the same thing! Try something new—though the results will still be the same," she said.

Rockman and Lightman looked at each other and nodded.

"I think we'll try it again," Lightman said. "Area Steal! Sword! Download!"

Twirl laughed as she again dodged the attack but the laughter was cut short as she was hit by a hi-cannon by Rockman.

"Ah, smart move," Twirl said. "Well, I shouldn't have expected this to be easy. After all, Myst-sama does consider you a threat. RIBBON BIND!"

Rockman and Lightman both yelled as the abnormally strong ribbons trapped the two.

"Rockman!" Roll cried out as she watched helplessly.

"If only we could get through this barrier!" Tomahawkman said as he hit the barrier that block their way.

"Rockman…" Lightman gasped. "Can't you still beast-out? If you Faltzer's beast-out, you should be able to catch her."

Rockman nodded then as he gasped in for air cried out the command to initiate the Faltzer beast-out. In a swirling whirlwind of pinkish-red and purple, Rockman took on the new form of the fearsome winged cyber-beast. Rockman spread his wings, tearing the ribbons that bound him.

"Faltzer Slash!" Rockman yelled, releasing the attack at the ribbons binding his brother. The ribbons broke and Lightman fell to the ground gasping in deep breathes to regain his breathe. Seeing his brother free, Rockman took off at an alarming speed. Twirl just managed to dodge the first charge but was caught off guard as Rockman quickly changed direction and caught the girl. She screamed as she was hit by Rockman's sharp projectile feathers. She fell to the ground where her Ribbon Whip had hit earlier, sending up a flurry of dust. Lightman walked up to her where she laid unable to move. He pointed his buster at her but did not shoot.

"What? You're not going to delete me?" she asked.

"I don't delete navis just to delete them," Lightman said, "but I will if you don't give up and promise to never attack us, or any navi for that matter, ever again."

Twirl grimaced as Rockman landed behind his brother. "Fine. You win. But just because I don't doesn't mean you're safe. Other navis will be hunting you two," she said.

"We'll take them as they come," Lightman said. "Now get out of here."

Twirl lowered her head and logged out. With her absence, the barrier that had separated the twins from everyone fell down.

"Rockman!" Roll cried as she jumped on the navi as he released the beast-out.

"What was that!?" Tomahawkman asked. "Why has Myst targeted you guys?"

Lightman shrugged. "Guess we're getting in their way," Lightman said. "Now who wants to go to that new area?"

"You were just attacked!" Glyde exclaimed. "Shouldn't you do something about it?"

"What do you want us to do?" Lightman said as he again shrugged. "There's not much we can do and I'm not going to let a couple of bozos stop me from living life."

"Well…" Tomahawkman said slowly before turning his thoughtful look into a big, evil grin, "…race you to the game center!"

"You're on!" Lightman said and the two once more took off pushing and shoving the whole way.

Rockman shook his head and smiled. He then removed Roll from his neck where she still clung. "Let's go guys. We need to keep up or who knows what trouble those two will end up getting into!" Everyone else laughed and took off at a quick pace to keep the battling ones in sight.

Eyes maliciously watched the group, plotting and waiting for the perfect moment to strike, hungry for Myst's praise and reward.


	27. Of Approaching Death

School is back in again and updates are slowing down (if you couldn't tell). I'm still dedicated to this story but for some reason school has higher priority….

And I give up on writing this line creatively, I'm too tired: I don't own Rockman.exe.

* * *

_Chapter 27: Of Approaching Death_

It was one vicious round: his throat and lungs were irritated and to clear them, his body started coughing, which only resulted in them becoming more irritated, which only initiated more coughing. Upward and onward this terrible cycle went, even when Netto had long since become completely breathless. A nurse had helped put the breathing mask on but it seemed to do no good and the painful bought of coughing continued. Rockman and the nurse attending to the unfortunate brunette tried to help but the best they could do was to barely keep him from having a heart attack on top of the coughing fits.

This was the state Netto was in when Botan was brought back into the room. Even though the younger boy was clearly exhausted, the Botan quickly asked if Netto was okay and asked if there was anything he could do to help. Ueda told him the best thing to do was to get into bed and get some rest. Botan did as he was told but could not help but watch in worry as Netto continued to have a fit. He felt guilty as the drugs he had been given finally started to take effect and Botan fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

He did not remember when he had fallen asleep but the next moment he knew was that the hospital room was dark. He felt the urge to cough again but he fought the urge, knowing full well that coughing would only bring more pain and a possible attack. Even still with this knowledge, Netto almost lost to the urge and was only able to overcome it with sheer stubborn will that only someone like Netto could possess.

Rockman must have sensed Netto had awoken because in a moment the small holographic form of the blue navi formed beside his still brother.

"Are you okay?" Rockman asked.

Netto slowly nodded, afraid to trust his voice. Sensing Netto's fear and pain, Rockman frowned. "I wish there was some way they could clean out all the smoke in your lungs," he said quietly. Through there link, Rockman got the distinct impression that Netto readily agreed. Rockman smiled ever slightly, grateful that even if Netto was essentially mute at the moment they could still communicate. Again, Netto agreed.

The two then stayed silent. In the past, the two could not have stayed silent together to save their lives but now the quiet nature innate in hospitals had overtaken even Netto. Besides, there was not much to say anything anymore. Every day was the same: Netto fighting for his life and Rockman doing his best to fight for him and with him.

Rockman looked up as a door opened and light from the hall flooded in. Soon the pair heard the quiet whisperings of Ueda with some quiet interjections by Botan's father. Even though he could not hear what the men were saying to Botan, Netto had the eerie feeling of déjà vu.

However, unlike his own experience of being told his condition, Botan was left alone afterwards. Shortly after the door had shut, Netto and Rockman could hear gentle sobs as Botan started to cry.

"Botan?" Rockman asked quietly. Botan did not answer but the sobs became slower as the boy tried to suppress his tears, realizing he had been caught. "Are you okay?" the navi continued, sympathy filling his voice.

Botan shook his head but no one could see it.

"Botan?" Rockman asked again. He then looked back at Netto sadly. Netto shared his own sad express. He did not need the link to tell Netto wanted him to try and continue, and he did not need Netto to know that he should. Rockman turned back to the curtain that divided the two boys.

"Botan, please let us help you," Rockman begged. "No one should have to face things alone."

Again there was no response except for a renewed crying.

Rockman looked extremely upset by now and he tried once again to find a way to help the younger boy that had befriended his brother. "Botan!? What's wrong?"

Finally Botan mustered the courage to try and speak. First he tried to again suppress his crying but as he wailed that he was dying the sobbing only continued again.

Rockman and Netto were both surprised by Botan's answer. They stumbled for a suitable answer but before they could come up with anything, Botan continued: "I…I have a hea…heart disease and…and…no…no one's…," Botan crying deepened, "…survived!"

Rockman and Netto looked at each other. Netto coughed a few times and Rockman was afraid Netto would enter another round of coughing fits. However, the fit never came and instead Netto spoke. His voice was raw and therefore horse from the coughing he had done earlier.

"Don't give up, Botan," Netto said.

Botan's cries softened. "H..huh?"

"Don't give up," Netto repeated.

"B…but no one has…" Botan began.

"Don't give up!" It much more a command then a request.

"But…"

"No buts. So what if no one's done it before? There is always, _always_ a first. I'm gonna be the first person who survived the disease I have," Netto said, his voice faltering a bit from the pain and irritation in his throat. Netto was missing his ability to control his voice and make it sound steady and full of courage even when he wasn't. Netto took in a deep breathe to try and regain his voice but it only resulted in a few more hard, painful coughs.

"Netto!?" Botan cried.

Netto tenderly cleared his throat. "I'm okay. Listen, Botan. Let's live together."

Botan could not help but chuckle and Rockman shook his head.

"What?" Netto asked.

"I know what you meant, but it sounded funny: 'let's live together'," Botan said.

"Oh," Netto smiled, keeping himself from laughing to prevent more coughing. "Yeah, that did sound weird. But regardless, promise?"

Botan was quiet for a moment and Netto was afraid Botan would not respond. But finally Botan's gentle voice came from across the curtain.

"Promise," he said.

Netto smiled. "Okay, good. Now the first step is getting a good night's sleep. So _oyasumi_, Botan. You too, Rock."

"_Oyasumi_, Netto," both chimed, though Rockman of course added the honorific –_kun_. And with some satisfaction, Rockman watched as the two boys fell asleep, not being able to be any prouder of his brother than he was right now.


	28. The Maidens' Sacrifice

I sincerely apologize for not updating in so long

I sincerely apologize for not updating in so long. It has been an extremely difficult and busy semester and I have not been able to write. But now school is done for the rest of the year and so updates should be picking back up... hopefully. ; )

And if you want to see what consumed a lot of my time, head to , which is my student website. It has some of my art and a few chapters for an original story I'm writing called _Neo Light_. I'd love it if you could read it and leave comments!

Okay, now with that said, here is the next long awaited chapter! And please remember, I do not own Rockman.exe.

* * *

_Chapter 28: The Maidens' Sacrifice_

"That is five more down, Sire." A small, trembling grey navi bowed down before the greatly adorned Eonite known as King. "The total now amounts to 96 navis defeated by the Twins of Legend," he said. A small blinking light went off on the grey navi's board. The navi looked at it briefly and then bowed deeply once again. "Make that 98."

"How canst this be?" King muttered. "They be two navis of small size. How canst they beat Lord Myst's men in such a quick manner as this?"

"I do not know, Sire," the grey navi said.

"Because they all are small, sniveling fools who do not take my orders seriously," a cold voice rang out from behind King.

The grey navi bowed even deeper. "Ah, Lord Myst," he acknowledged.

"Then what shall we doest, Sir Lord Myst?" King asked.

Myst seemed thoughtful for a moment. After a moment, his serious expression turned into one of pure evil glee.

"We'll use _it_," he said, his eyes glinting with joy.

"It?" the grey navi asked.

"It! Sir Lord Myst! Are we so concerned with so small of navis to use it!" King said alarmed. "You knowest what mayest happen if we so loosest control!"

"Do not question me!" Myst snapped. The other navis cowered before the powerful navi. Myst turned to King. "I trust you can take care of it, your highness?" Myst said, with distaste as he said "your highness".

"Yea, my Lord," King said, bowing slightly. "Leave all thy matters to me. Thy twins will soon be but a memory."

Myst grinned. "Good." Then, within a moment, Myst was gone, leaving his companions alone.

Laika tapped his pencil as he looked at the screen. "98 navis," he muttered, "and all claim to be working for this Myst." He moved his chair back from the desk he had been sitting at and rubbed his eyes wearily. He had been working on this mystery of Myst and the twins for over two weeks and nothing had become clear. "What do they want with Rockman and Lightman?" he exasperated. "And does it have anything to do with the so-called 'Twins of Light'?"

"Laika, sir."

Laika looked up to come face to face with his navi.

"Get anything out of them?" he asked.

Searchman shook his head. "Sorry, sir. Nothing new. When someone asks them about anything about what they know about Myst, Rockman starts to act nervous and Lightman, for lack of a better phrase, becomes overly obnoxious. They keep telling me that they'll be able to handle it."

"Has Blues has not been able to get anything out of them either?" Laika asked.

Searchman shook his head and then added, "But from what I gather, he does not see them often because of Enzan."

Laika grunted as he remembered what Blues had said about Enzan thinking Lightman was too much like Netto. Laika could see _some_ similarities, but not enough that could set him on edge or dislike the light blue navi in any particular way. He simply thought he could be somewhat annoying. If anything, he was glad for the navi; he personally had not experienced Rockman's depression for any extended period of time, but he had heard full well how bad the depression had been. Now, with Lightman by his side, Rockman appeared to be back to normal. He had become gloomy at one point when Netto had been brought up, but Lightman had brought him right back up, not giving him time to be too mournful. Laika had also noted how Lightman himself had appeared discouraged about the topic, which was what made him grateful for the navi: Lightman, despite his hyper-activeness, was keenly aware of and extremely sensitive to Rockman's pain, and he seemed to know what to do with the situation. Laika was positive Netto would have been glad for Lightman's presence next to his beloved Rockman; in fact, Laika could not help but wonder if Netto had had some hand in Lightman's creation. Laika knew full well that Netto's biggest worry in dying was the well-being of his navi.

Laika's train of thought was broken as his PET began to ring. Laika took the PET in hand and answered the call.

"Yes, sir?" Laika addressed Meijin.

"Send Searchman to Internet City _now_," Meijin said sternly, which Laika knew meant that he was particularly stressed about the situation.

"What is it?" Laika asked as he simultaneously plugged in Searchman. He was quick to act but he still wanted to know what he was sending his navi into.

"A giant monster has made it's presence in Internet City and is going on a rampage," Meijin informed. "Blues, Rockman, and Lightman are already there."

"Okay, we're on it," Laika said as he shut down the communication and turned his attention to Searchman and the destruction that the navi was quickly approaching.

--

"Okay, this is just getting annoying," Lightman said as he shot yet another blast at the monster, again with no effect on the creature that slightly resembled a large, metal-like bear.

"Hey, Lightman! Did you know the definition of _insanity_ is 'repeating the same action but expecting different results'?" Tomahawkman said.

"Now is so NOT the time to be joking like that!" Lightman yelled back as he dodged another swipe of the beast.

"Both of you, just shut up and focus!" Rockman scolded as he tried a few bombs, with again little effect.

"Yes, mom," Lightman teased as he tried a sword attack, which once more proved fruitless, and then barely escape a blast sent from the beast. Rockman could not help but shake his head. He should have known that his brother could never be completely serious, even in the face of danger; actually, especially in the face of danger. Maybe that was how he kept his cool in such intense situations?

"Does he ever take anything seriously?" Blues asked. Apparently, he was noticing the same characteristic about the small light-blue navi.

"Guess not," Rockman answered quickly, just as he dodged another attack.

Searchman ran up to the battle, letting off a few shots as he did. "Are you guys okay?" Searchman yelled.

"Never been better," Lightman said sarcastically.

"Yeah," Rockman said more seriously. However, Searchman noticed that his comrades were already pretty damaged from the battle. Rockman pointed up to the beast as he gave Searchman a quick rundown. "This beast has a really hard outer-core. We haven't been able to cut through it except with a Gregar Beast-out. You can see the damage I did by the eye, but as you can see, it's about the _only_ damage we've been able to do."

"What happened to the beast-out?" Searchman asked; Rockman was clearly not in beast-out mode. It was then that he noticed a fairly deep gash in Rockman's side.

Without any indication of pain (though Searchman was positive he was in a lot of pain) Rockman shrugged almost as if the situation was normal. "The monster knocked me out of it just as I did him damage," he said.

"ROCK!" Lightman charged at Rockman and knocked him down, and Searchman in the process, as a large red laser beam emitted from the monster's mouth and nearly hit the navis. "Rockman, you dope!" Lightman said.

"Lightman! Are you okay!?" Rockman's eyes went large as he saw the heavy damage Lightman had taken from the flying debris that had resulted in Lightman protecting his companion.

Lightman smiled a cocky, but pained, smile. "Of course," he grunted. "Is Sear…," Lightman stopped mid-word. Searchman had taken a more direct hit and was severely damaged. He was still conscience, but he certainly was not in fighting condition. It was pure stubborn will that kept him from logging out.

"Searchman!" Rockman said. He and Lightman tried to attend to them, but were cut off as the monster swiped at them. With their wounds, they barely managed. Then a sharp scream made them turn to their other side and they watched in horror as Blues flew straight into a building after being hit by the beast's long, sharp claws. He crumbled at the bottom of the building and then disappeared as he logged out. They then turned back to Searchman.

"Log out, Searchman," Rockman said.

Searchman weakly looked up. "But…"

"No," Lightman said. "Do as Rockman says. Can't you see it's us the monster wants?"

"It would do us no good if you were deleted," Rockman said. "And it certainly will do no good to Laika either."

"But what will you do?" Searchman said. "This monster…. No! I've never left a comrade on a battle field!"

"Searchman!" Lightman cried. It surprised him as Rockman leapt at Searchman, barely dodging another of the monster's attacks, and grabbed him in the neck. Giving a sharp pinch and a quick "_gomen_," Rockman caused Searchman to loose conscience and log out.

"I did not think you'd actually do something like that," Lightman said, stunned at his brother's actions.

Rockman was slightly shaky. "Me either," he said, "but… I had to. He'd have been deleted if I hadn't."

Lightman nodded and then turned angrily on the monster. He had nearly deleted Blues and Searchman. He also noticed that Tomahawkman was nowhere to be seen and he hoped that Dingo has safely logged him out sometime during the confusion. "Com' on, Rockman," he yelled. "Let's show this monster what happens to those that hurt our friends!"

"Twins, you are too damaged yourselves." After dodging yet another blast and the resulting debris, the twins looked to see the Maidens. "Let us, this once, protect you so you can go on to protect our home."

"But how," here they dodged another attack, "can you defeat this power?" Rockman asked.

It was hard to tell, but the Maidens smiled. Lightman could have sworn there was mischief in those smiles. "Let us show you what real Eonite power is!" A bright light consumed the small, virus-like creatures, which caused even the terrible monster to pause for a moment to stare. The twins shielded their eyes from such a bright light. When the light dissipated, there stood, not two small, furry creatures but two young women that looked like humans and dressed in ornate Oriental dress. Lightman would never admit that his jaw dropped.

"Stand behind us!" The dark-haired one, presumably Beam, commanded. Her voice was clear and beautiful but also deadly in the manner in which she spoke: the twins had to obey.

"Monster! Myst! You will not hurt them any more! We will restore our beautiful home!" the Maidens yelled in unison.

"Power of Sun!" cried Rei as a bright yellow light began to form around her.

"Power of Moon!" yelled Beam as a similar blue light surrounded her.

"Light always wins against dark, no matter the world!" The light around the girls exponentially swelled in a powerful whirlwind that quickly engulfed the monster and the entire area.

Even though Rockman and Lightman themselves were surrounded in the blinding light, they felt no pain. In fact, they felt a rejuvenation of energy and their serious wounds began to heal. The monster, however, gave out a deafening scream. When the light drew back, the Maidens stood smiling (though breathing rather hard, Rockman noticed) and the creature groaned as it swayed its heavy head slowly from side to side, smoke emitting from its body.

"Amazing," Rockman breathed.

"That was…" Lightman began, "completely amazing!" he finished excitedly. "How'd you do that!?"

Rei looked back at them. "That," she said, "is the power of Eon."

"LOOK OUT!"

It had been Beam that had yelled it. The four leapt out of the way as the monster unleashed an attack in its rage; it was an attack greater than any other previous attacks.

Lightman and Rockman looked back in horror as they watched the light of the beam consume the maidens. When the attack finally ended, neither Rei nor Beam could be seen anywhere, in either human form or virus form. Both blue navis clenched there fists in shaking rage as the bear-like creature roared in victory.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, YOU UGLY…UGLY…!" Lightman could not finish the sentence: no word seemed adequate to describe the monster.

The monster lowered it gigantic head to look at the two navis that could not even be considered a small snack to the great and terrible creature. It swung its paw. The brothers jumped out of the way. The creature was too stupid to realize that the two had begun to glow; it simply swiped again, only to be dodged again.

The twins landed gracefully a few feet away from the monster, shining brightly. The light concentrated in the twins hands. The monster paused briefly before it unleashed another deadly beam attack.

However, it was no match for the attack the twins unleashed. Within seconds, the monster's attack and the monster itself was consumed within the blinding light. As the attack moved past the beast, the monster disintegrated and was no more but useless data fragments when the light finally died down.

Both navis blinked as they ceased to glow. Rockman was breathless as he muttered, "We…we did it again…" He then looked at his brother who had fallen to his knees, tears welling in his eyes. Rockman looked away, unable to fight back the tears in his eyes. "But this time, we were too late…"

--

"TIS IMPOSSIBLE!" King screeched. "Mine precious pet! He was destroyed! Oh, oh, oh! What will Lord Myst think!?" King breathed heavily, trying to calm himself. After a few moments of this self-treatement, fear turned to rage in the royal Eonite's eyes. "Tis gone on enough! I, by mine own hand, will destroy these Warriors of Light! They will be no match for I, King, ruler of all that great land of Eon, the Eon internet, the Under-internet, and soon the entire internet! Why, even the human scum themselves!" The crazed navi let out a maniac laugh.

In the shadows, Myst grinned wickedly.


	29. Rockman's Risk

Anyway, I FINALLY have posted pictures of Rei and Beam (as well as other Rockman.exe goodies) at my website, which you can access through my bio page (because ffnet for some reason won't let me post it here). Please check it out!

Bet you never heard this before: I do not own Rockman.exe.

* * *

_Chapter 29: Rockman's Risk  
_

Botan, Netto, and Rockman looked up from their Uno game as they heard a gentle knock on the door.

"May we come in?" Botan's father asked with a smile. Close behind him was his wife and their elder son.

Botan smiled. "Of course," he said. "You can watch me beat Netto-san."

Netto grinned mischievously. "Heck not. Sorry, but I'm gonna beat your son in this round."

Rockman chuckled. "I doubt it. Botan is _creaming _you," he said.

Netto scanned his cards. "I'm good at comebacks."

"In netbattles," his brother said, giving Botan a quick wink.

"Net battles, card battles…" Netto said. He gave a few hoarse coughs before he laid down a card. "Beat that," he said to Botan.

Botan grinned. "Okay," he said as he placed down his own card. "Uno!"

Netto looked down at the card, at Botan, and at his own hand of 9 or so cards. He smiled slightly. "I'm still convinced you somehow worked out that you would draw all the 'Draw 2' and 'Draw 4' cards," he said. Botan just lifted his single card to his face and grinned without a word.

"Maybe you should just forfeit, Netto-kun," Netto said.

Botan's father laughed. "That may be wise advise. Botan always wins at Uno."

Netto smirked weakly. "Not on your life. I've never backed down."

"And it usually leads to trouble," Rockman said.

"Yeah," Netto said as he once again scanned his cards, "for the bad guys."

"What do you mean by that?" Botan's brother asked.

"Err…" Netto and Rockman stumbled.

"Netto and Rockman are net savers!" Botan said excitedly.

"Botan," Netto laughed awkwardly, "that's supposed to be a secret."

"Huh, really?" Botan asked. "Even though you're sick?'

"Well, I _do_ plan on getting better," Netto said.

"Besides," Rockman added, "Netto-kun's enemies might take advantage of the fact that he's sick. That's why there are always guards at our door."

"Oh," Botan said. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Netto said, once more pondering over his cards. "But don't tell anyone else. I told you 'cause we're roommates and it'd be hard to keep that a secret, especially with Enzan visiting every day." He finally reached for a card. "Okay, try that."

"Perfect," Botan grinned as he placed his last card down. "I win!"

"Ahh!" Netto fell back further into the pillows he had been propped against.

"Play again?" Botan asked.

"Nah," Netto said as he closed his eyes. "Too tired…"

"Are you faking it, Netto-san?" Botan asked.

Rockman looked at Netto and frowned inwardly as he felt Netto's exhaustion. He forced a smile and looked back at Botan. "I don't think he is," Rockman said.

"Sorry, Botan," Netto said wearily.

Botan shook his head as he gathered the cards off the table and climbed off Netto's bed. "No, it's okay. If you're tired, you should sleep," he said.

Rockman chuckled sadly. "I don't think you have to tell him twice." He looked back at his brother who had fallen asleep. _All from a couple card games,_ he thought sadly.

Botan looked at his family and held his finger to his lips. "Let's be quiet so we don't disturb Netto-san."

"Good idea," Botan's mother said as they quietly returned to his side of the room and closed the dividing curtain.

--

Enzan sat in his dimly lit office facing his computer monitor. On the monitor, Dr. Ueda's weary face could be seen. In response to something the young businessman said, the doctor sadly shook his head. In return, Enzan sadly glanced sideways.

"Is there nothing we can do?" Blues asked in place of his operator.

"It's not completely hopeless," Ueda replied. "It is as I said. Research and treatment have been going as planned and will soon be done, but Netto-kun's condition is, because of the fire, worsening. He is now so weak that the treatment has become rather risky; however, that does not mean that it will not work. And with Netto's spirit…" Ueda paused here. "I'm doing everything I can, Ijuuin-san. Unfortunately, these things happen, but we cannot give up. Netto, his family," again Ueda paused, "…his friends…deserve that much. I promised to save him and I will. I'm just telling you these things because I believe in being straightforward with my clients."

"Thank you, Ueda-sensei," Enzan said quietly.

Ueda frowned and said his good-byes before he cut the connection. As Ueda's face disappeared from the screen, the room went dark except for the faint glow from Enzan's PET.

"Netto…"

--

Netto groaned as he slowly came too. "Did I fall asleep again?" he quietly asked his blue companion.

"Yeah," Rockman said.

"I hate being tired all the time," Netto said, staring back at the ceiling.

"I know," Rockman said. "But you'll be better soon, right?" Rockman said as he winked at his brother.

Netto smiled. "Hope so."

"Where's that 'beat all' attitude?" Rockman asked.

Netto chuckled slightly. "It's hard to be upbeat when you're so tired."

There was a moment of silence.

"Sorry, Rock," Netto said after awhile. "I really haven't given up. I'm not going to desert you."

Rockman smiled. "I know, Netto-kun."

"You better," Netto said. "Anyway, what…"

Netto was cut off as they heard Botan and his family return back to the room from wherever they had been. Apparently, Dr. Ueda was with them because he heard his voice describing that a new procedure would soon be available to help him.

"Is it a risky procedure?" Netto could hear Botan's mom ask.

"Any procedure is risky," Ueda said, "but Botan-kun has not progressed far enough in the disease that the risk is great."

"When will this procedure be available?" It was Botan's father who had asked the question.

"A matter of weeks. It's in its final stages right now," Ueda said. "We're actually trying to perfect it so it's safer for higher risk patients like Netto-kun."

"Netto-san?" Botan asked. "Does he have HBD too?"

Netto's heart skipped a beat.

"_'Too'?_" he thought. His head began to whirl.

"Netto-kun!?"

Netto could dimly hear Rockman's voice calling out to him as he became dizzier and dizzier. _"Too?"_ _Botan had HBD TOO? No wonder he was so sca…_

"Netto-kun! Take deep, slow breathes. Netto-kun!" Rockman was trying to take control of the situation but to little avail. Netto was becoming far too dizzy to think coherently. The machines began to beep dangerously.

By now, Ueda had flown into action on Netto's side of the room and was yelling out his own commands: "Juuko! Make sure Botan stays calm and doesn't have an attack. Tare! Take control of the machines. Kari, Hanako, come help me." Ueda was doing everything he could to cease Netto's attack but the attack seemed to only escalate. The room was a flying flurry of action as they tried to calm Netto's heart. Botan was removed from the room, and Rockman found himself being pushed from the center of action and completely helpless to help.

Rockman closed his eyes and tried to reach out to Netto through their link. He could feell his brother's pain as it surged through his body as well as the dizziness that his beloved friend was experiencing. He could feel the weakened tremors of his heart and the stinging in his lungs.

It seemed all too startlingly familiar.

"Netto-kun…" he cried silently.

_Sai…Saito… _Rockman could hear Netto calling out for him through their link, even over the ruckus of the movement and beeping of machines and the panic of the nurses and Ueda as they diligently worked to keep Netto alive.

_I'm here, Netto-kun…_ Rockman cried back. _Don't give up._

_I'm…I'm trying…_ Netto's pain accompanied the message.

_Netto-kun!_

It struck Rockman like a thousand bricks as he realized Netto's heart was failing fast. If he didn't do something…if he didn't do something NOW…Netto-kun would…his brother would…

But what could he do!? He was completely helpless in this situation. He'd only get in the doctors' way. If only there was some way to lend Netto his strength…to let him use his healthy body…

That was it!

"Netto-kun! Full-syncro!" All the nurses and the Ueda looked at the small blue navi in surprise as Rockman cried aloud.

_Are you crazy!_ Netto managed to think to this brother. _If we do that, you could die!_

_And if we don't, you WILL die,_ Rockman cried.

_I won't put you at risk!_ Netto yelled, his heart skipping dangerously as he did.

_But we fight together! _Rockman yelled mentally back. _This too! Alone, we don't stand a chance, but together… You got mad at me when I wanted to go on by myself to protect you! Don't put me in the same situation! Together…together...! I WON'T LET YOU SUFFER ALONE!_

Ueda was near frantic as the beats of Netto's heart became almost unreadable by the machines when a bright light began to surround Rockman.

"What…?" Ueda began before his attention was grabbed by the machine that monitored Netto's heart as it began to come alive again.

"Rockman!?" Tare yelled as he ran to the blue navi's side as Rockman collapsed to the ground in pain. He could feel all of it, all of Netto's pain. It surged through his body as if it was his own. Ueda and the nurses could only watch as they saw Netto (and Rockman) struggle, fighting to give Netto's heart the strength it needed to keep beating.

Then, as soon as it began, it all became quiet. Netto and Rockman's breathing evened out as did the readings on the machines.

"Ueda-sensei," one of the nurses asked. "What just happened?"

Ueda stared blankly at the exhausted child, at the similarly tired navi, and back at the boy. "I'm…I'm not quite sure."

_Netto-kun, are you okay?_

_Don't EVER do that again, baka! You almost killed yourself!_

_But we're both still here, right?_

Netto gave a mental "humph"

_So you're alright?_

_Yeah, I'm alright. How about you, nii-san?_

_Of course. After all, you're still here._


	30. King

_Chapter 30: King_

"So this is Internet City," Red said as he glanced at the surrounding grey buildings in awe. Green had expressed earlier that she would like to see the home of the navis, so Yellow had gone out of his way to find Rockman and Lightman to ask them if they would take him and his siblings to go explore Internet city. Yellow was slightly surprised that Lightman and Rockman so readily accepted.

"We didn't have anything like this in Eon," Red said a few moments later.

"Really?" Rockman asked. "But didn't Echo-san say Earth and Eon were very similar?"

"Well, in the fact that we had forests, towns, fields, cities, and what not," Yellow explained, "but not a city like this. I don't really know how to explain how they are similar. Maybe both are not man-made and not like the net?"

"Well, Eon looks a lot like the sub-Eon Net that you saw," Green chirped in.

"So it's kinda like a western medieval fairytale place," Lightman mused.

Yellow shrugged. "Wouldn't know. Never seen a 'western medieval' place," he said.

"Fair enough," Rockman said.

"Ne, Rockman-sama, Lightman-sama," Green said. "Why is everything so grey?"

"Ahh…" Rockman and Lightman looked at each other at a loss for an answer. Why was everything in Internet City grey?

"It's okay if you don't know," Green said sweetly. "It's still cool and I'm glad you took the time to bring us here."

"I'm glad you like it," Rockman said.

"So… what do you guys want to go s…?"

"Rockman, Lightman!" Lightman was interrupted by two small voices.

"Aquaman! Iceman!" Lightman said.

"Oh, Rockman-sama! Lightman-sama! Are these friends of yours?" Green asked.

Rockman and Lightman both nodded. "Yeah," Rockman said. "This is Aquaman and Iceman. Aquaman, Iceman, these are our friends, Red, Yellow, and Green."

"Pleasure to meet you," Red said as he politely bowed. "Any friend of the warriors is a friend of ours."

Iceman and Aquaman awkwardly returned the bow. They then turned to the twins.

"Do you want to play with us, pyuu?" Aquaman asked.

"What are you playing?" Lightman asked.

"Hide-and-seek, desu," Iceman said.

"We were trying to find Bubbleman too, but we can't find him, pyuu," Aquaman added.

Green clapped her hands together. "Oh, it sounds like fun. And what better way to explore a place than by playing hide-and-seek."

"It does sound amusing," Red said. His brother nodded in agreement.

"I'm in!" Lightman said as his hand shot into the air.

"Fine by me," Rockman said.

"Okay, desu," Iceman said. "Not it, desu!"

"Not it!" The rest cried out at close intervals.

"Rockman's it, pyuu!" Aquaman said.

Rockman covered his eyes with his hands and began to count. "_Ichi, ni, san…_" The other navis and Eonites took off at a sprint, looking for a hiding spot. Rockman continued to count: "Juu_-hachi, juu-kyuu, ni-juu_! Ready or not, here I come!" Rockman removed his hands from his eyes and scanned the area. Of course, none of his friends were in sight. Because of their link, Rockman had an idea of where Lightman was. Rockman, however, decided to look for the others first because of this disadvantage Lightman had with him as "it". Not to mention, he did not want to listen to Lightman whine the whole night about being at a disadvantage and Rockman taking advantage of it. So instead, he opted to jog in the opposite direction of Lightman, where he was sure he had heard others of his companions run off. After awhile, he had found Iceman, Aquaman, and Yellow, Yellow relenting reluctantly that he had been discovered.

"Now for Red, Green, and Lightman-san," Yellow said as the four navis walked in the direction they had started and toward the other three. Well, _hopefully_, the other three. He really only knew that Lightman was in that direction.

A twinge of fear ran up Rockman's spine, which caused him to halt. Iceman and Aquaman stopped and just saw as Rockman's eyes went wide. Yellow ran into his blue companion.

"What's the matter, Rockman-san? Why'd you stop like that?" Yellow said as he rubbed his nose.

"Lightman's in trouble!" Rockman said. As the words rung in his ear, the reason why he had had a chill run up his back finally clicked and he broke out in a run.

"Rockman-san!" Yellow called out. He then turned around to the other two companions. "You two go home! I have a feeling it's going to get really messy real quick."

"But how did Rockman know Lightman was in trouble, desu?" Iceman asked.

"How doesn't matter!" Yellow snapped. "Get home now!"

"Can't we help, pyuu?" Aquaman asked. "Shuu-neechan can help!"

"No," Yellow said. "We'll take care of it. No offense, but I doubt you can take on Myst. Now, leave it to us."

With that, Yellow disappeared down the street much like Rockman had just a few moments later. Reluctantly, the two small navis logged out to relay what little they knew to their net-ops.

Lightman bounced quickly from rock to rock. He had hid himself from Rockman in a store that sold rocks. Why such a place existed in Internet City, Lightman didn't know, but then again, he did not know why a lot of things existed in Internet City. The diet shop made no sense and he had never cared for the clothes shops either; he thought the idea of dressing navis silly and had never gotten into the whole navi dress-up thing like Meiru had. In fact, the rock shop made more sense than the clothes shops. After all, with cyber-rocks, you could make cyber-gardens.

Or complex battle fields.

Lightman skidded to a stop and summoned a bronze fist. "Eat dirt!" He yelled as he used the battle chip to not aim for his opponent but for a rock. The rock broke apart and huge parts flew toward Lightman's opponent. Unfortunately, this particular opponent was faster than Lightman had anticipated and he dodged the flying boulders.

The Eonite laughed. "This be the great power of the Twin Warriors!?" he yelled. "Tis truly pathetic!"

"I'll stop you're laughing!" Lightman said.

"Canst thou make me?" the other grinned.

"Watch!" Lightman said. "Ice tower!"

His opponent jumped out of the way, but Lightman was ready. Using the ice and the rocks, he slid quickly toward Myst's lackey. As soon as the enemy had landed on another rock out of the way of the ice tower, Lightman was already there and easily slashed the Eonite. Lightman was ready strike again when he was stopped by a sudden, desperate cry:

"Stop it! Please!"

Both battlers look in surprise as they saw Green standing on the edge of the ice field. "Please stop this, Father!"

"Father!?" Lightman said as he turned to his opponent. "What are you doing, working for Myst!?"

Red was the one to answer as he appeared behind his sister. "Echo explained this, remember?" he said. "He's let bitterness and hate take hold of his heart."

"Doest thou believest that, son?" King said as he struggled to his feet.

"I do," Red said.

"But, Father, we also believe you can come back!" Green said. "Live in peace with us! We'll beat Myst and things will go back to the way they were."

"Things canst not ever be the same!" King scoffed. "Furthermore, Lord Myst hast promised his kingdom to…"

"He's lying!" Red barked.

"What knowest thou!?" King said angrily. "Ye be but a youth!"

Red and Green looked sadly at King.

"Why can you not see you're being played, Father!" Green cried.

"I am not being played!" King snapped. "It be ye who art the blind ones!"

"You're just afraid to admit your wrong," Red said sadly. "If you could, if you _can_, then you'd be able to come home."

"Ye fools! Home is gone! It be all gone! There be no home but the onest Lord Myst is creating," King cried. "And I, King, Lord and King of all Eon and the Eon Net, and soon the whole Earth, both Net and otherwise, will helpest him!"

"Can't you see!?" Red cried out in frustration. "How can you be ruler is Myst is ruler!? Would Myst really just give it to you!? Wake up, Father! You're being manipulated."

"Hold thou tongue, Red!" King cried. "I am not being manipulated!"

Shadows covered Red's eyes. "If you will not see…" he murmured. Green looked sadly up at Red: she knew what would follow, what had to follow…

Her older brother summoned a sword and then looked up, determination and sadness in his eyes. He pointed the sword at King. "If you will not listen or see, than I, by my own hand, will strike you down. This is my duty as heir to the Eonite throne and I will not let you hurt our people nor those who have saved us in our darkest hour," Red said furiously.

King grunted and summoned his own sword.

"So be it, foolish boy."

The two leapt at each other and the battle began.

--

"Green!"

Green looked back and saw Rockman and her other brother running toward her. She then turned back and looked back earnestly at the battle unfolding before her.

"What's going on?" Yellow asked as he and Rockman finally reached her.

"It has begun," she whispered.

Yellow looked at the battle. He could see his father and elder brother pushing against each other with their swords, neither losing but neither gaining an advantage either. He could not bear the sight of it and looked away.

"Rockman!"

Rockman received his brother as Lightman nearly slammed into him. "What do we do? We have to help somehow, but…but…" Lightman said

"Calm down," Rockman said.

"We should be fighting him, not Red! That's his father, dang it!" Lightman said.

"Let it be," Yellow said.

Both Lightman and Rockman looked at Yellow in surprise.

"How can you say that!?" Lightman yelled. "That's your brother and your father out there! Fighting each other!" Rockman grabbed his shoulder.

"I know," Yellow said. "But Red knew he'd have to fight him some day."

"Oh, Yellow!" Green slammed herself into her brother and wrapper her arms around him. "Why!? Why won't Father see? We plead and plead with him! Red's still pleading! Why does he refuse to see!?" she cried.

Yellow held onto her shoulders and shook his head sadly. "I don't know."

"We'll do it for you! We'll fight!" Lightman said.

"No," Yellow said. "This is our battle. Yours is later."

"But, Yellow," Rockman said. "He's your father."

"Your right. He is our father and that is why we must fight him ourselves," Yellow said. He then smiled slightly. "Thank you for your concern and your offer, but we knew someday this would happen. As much as we hate it, we know this is better for our people, your people, and for him."

"Him?" Lightman asked.

Yellow nodded, still holding onto his sister. "Yes. I do not think he is happy but he is too stubborn to admit he is wrong. If this goes on any more, he'll only suffer more."

"Yellow…" Lightman said.

Yellow shook his head. "Don't pity me. If anyone deserves your pity, it's Red. He has to bear the brunt of it, as the eldest."

Rockman and Lightman turned and looked back at the battle. King and Red had broken off the grid lock and were jumping from rock to rock and place to place, to avoid being hit by the other's blade. Red's face was one of fierce determination, but the pain in his face was also evident.

King's face was also worth noting. It was hard to tell what he was feeling about this battle. Anger was clearly there, but there also hints of pain, sorrow, and even fear. Fear for his own life or the life of his son, it was hard to tell, but the more they looked, the clearer it was.

King was afraid.

And then, before anyone had realized it, the battle was over. King kneeled before his son, blade stuck through his chest. The Eonite ruler whispered something, but Red was the only one to hear it: Red would be the only one to know what the Eonite's last words were. Then, in a shower of fragments of light, not quite like the deletion of a navi but similar, King dissipated into thin air and it was Red's turn to fall to his knees, weeping.

Green ran over to her brother and wrapped him in her arms. Yellow stood silently by them, crying even though he hated to cry. As for Rockman and Lightman, they could only watch behind silently, wondering how far this battle would go on and how many more would be hurt before it ended. It had already divided the two equals, Echo and Myst, and the two siblings, Light and Dark. And now, it had forced a son to slay his own father.

How much more could go on?


	31. Without a Goodbye

_Chapter 31: Without a Good-bye_

Even Netto had doubts now; Rockman could feel it through the link. Rockman could hardly blame him with the way the nurses now looked at him. It was a sort of sad pity, the same look Rockman suspected nurses gave when they wanted to let the patient think everything was alright even though they did not expect the person to live—a sort of false encouragement. Sometimes, Rockman just wanted to punch that look of their faces when he felt Netto's lack of surety because of that pity smile. Of course, he never could because of the human-cyber barrier, not to mention all the ethical complications that would result in him hitting a healthcare provider. But it did not reduce the urge.

Then came the mysterious conversations between Netto and their father. The conversation occurred daily now, and Rockman never knew if the two would talk a few minutes or hours; it always varied. The whole affair unsettled Rockman a great deal: never before could Rockman recall when he was purposely left out, especially by the two involved. More alarming was the fact that every time the two talked privately, Rockman could feel Netto's troubled feelings reach a new height. Even after the conversation ended, Netto was clearly struggling with something. It did not take the link to know that something was seriously bothering him—Netto had become seriously quiet and reflective since the talks had begun. Even Botan, Enzan, and the others noticed, but Netto always denied it and said it must be because he was tired. Rockman knew he was lying and he felt hurt that Netto could not share whatever he was struggling so much with with him. Netto apologized each time, but he always immediately went back into his troubled and reflective mood.

Despite Netto's secretiveness, however, it did not take much for Rockman to guess what the base nature of the conversations was about. However, Rockman hated to think about it. He hated the fact that Netto was now accepting the fact that he might die. Even despite the fact that Netto was a natural fighter. Even despite that Ueda's new surgery was at a completion. Even despite that his friends needed him. Even despite that _he_ needed him.

As Netto had nightmares at night, Rockman cried.

And yet, he still did not accept what Netto had: that Netto might not make it through this, that Netto's time was finally up. It simply was _not_ something Rockman could think about, much less accept. After all, what was there besides Netto-kun? Life simply was not without him.

It was only a matter of a few days that Netto struggled and Rockman felt hopelessly alone—both hearts crying out for some sort of hope—but it seemed like eternity. Then, almost without warning, as Netto was struggling the most with whatever decision he had to make, a sudden peace filled Rockman, a pure feeling of hope and energy. It took Rockman a moment to figure out where such a feeling came from, but then he knew:

Netto had finally made a decision.

-----

"Netto-san?"

Netto opened up one eye and looked at his younger roommate.

"Yeah, Botan?" he asked groggily.

"Were you asleep?" Botan asked, slightly embarrassed that he may have awaken his friend.

"No, not really," Netto said, both eyes now open and fixed on Botan. "But I'm not really up for an UNO game."

"That's not what I wanted," Botan said, his eyes cast down.

The way Botan looked and sounded told Netto something was up, and Netto prepared himself for a serious conversation. "What's up, Botan? What's wrong?"

"I'm scared," Botan put simply after a pause. "About the surgery. I don't think I can do it."

"Oh sure you can," Netto encouraged. "Ueda-sensei's an able doctor and he's put a lot of work into this."

"I know," Botan said. "But I can't help feeling scared."

Netto smiled kindly at him. "I can understand that. Surgery is scary. But you won't be doing it alone."

Botan looked up. "How do you find courage when you do scary things, Netto-san?"

Netto frowned slightly. "That's…a good question." Netto paused as he reflected on it. "I guess…I think of all those people who are counting on me, who are rooting for me to win. Sometimes I literally hear people rooting for me—Meiru-chan most the time—but when I can't hear them, I pretend I can because I know somewhere, people are cheering for me. Knowing people want me to succeed, I feel stronger. Their strength is my strength," Netto said. He then looked at Rockman. "Then there's the fact I have Rockman."

Botan smiled but did not seem too appeased.

Netto sighed. "Okay, let's try this: name all the people who are cheering for you. Name all the people who love you and want you to live."

Botan looked up at Netto. "Well, I guess there is _Tou-san, Kaa-san, Nii-san_," Botan said.

"Who else?"

"Um, my friends at school…"

"And…?"

"Uh, maybe Ueda-isha and the nurses…" Botan added.

"Oh most certainly," Netto said, smiling. "Now name at least two more I know you're forgetting."

Botan thought for awhile. "My grandparents?"

"Well, that too, but I'm thinking of two specific people," Netto said. Botan just looked at him, confused. Netto smiled. "It's me and Rock, Botan," he said.

Botan smiled sheepishly. "Right."

"See, you have a lot of people rooting for you," Netto said. Botan nodded. The three then sat there in a quiet reflection for a moment, silently letting Botan take in his new found strength. But both Netto and Botan needed one more thing:

"Botan? Can you make a promise?"

-----

It had happened before anyone could realize it had happened. Normally, things like this gave some sort of signal that they were about to happen, but this attack occurred without warning. Before he was even aware what he was doing, Rockman had awoken and called for the nurses and doctors to help Netto, who, by the time they had arrived, was oblivious to everything going on around him, including Rockman calling to him through their link. Rockman knew that Netto was too far removed to even begin to attempt full-syncro, much less accomplish it. All that the blue navi could do was stay out of the way as Netto was whisked away for emergency surgery.

Then all was quiet. Everything had happened so quickly that what was truly happening took a moment to sink in. As the nurses whispered to quiet the scared Botan, the gravity of the situation finally hit the blue warrior. You might as well as dropped a million quake viruses on him and it would not have hurt the blue battler as much.

"It'll be okay, Rockman-san." Rockman looked up to see a nurse looking down at him with a concerned smile. "They'll take good care of Netto-san." Rockman nodded weakly. "We also called his parents," the nurse said. "They'll be here any moment."

Again, Rockman nodded, but he was in such a daze that he was not quite sure to exactly what he had nodded too. The rest of the night was spent in a similar fashion. He did not notice when the nurse took him from Netto's room to outside the surgery room where the Hikari's were waiting, anxious for word on the fate of their son. Nor did his mind register when Enzan joined the small waiting party, even though it was the dead of night and way past visitor hours. He was not even aware that Blues had entered his PET and tried to comfort him by placing a firm, reassuring hand on his shoulder. The world around the blue navi was simply a dark void, and somewhere out there, Netto-kun was fighting for his life…alone.

Rockman focused with everything he had on Netto's unresponsive side of the link; as long as he could feel something—anything—then everything would be all right. Rockman could give his brother silent strength and Rockman could have the reassurance that Netto was still there.

But then it was all gone.

Rockman suddenly stiffened and his eyes went wide.

The movement alarmed Blues. "Rockman, what's wrong?"

"I…I can't feel him…" Rockman choked on a stunned whispered.

"What?" Blues asked.

"I can't feel him!" Rockman cried, this time loudly. He began to search desperately in his mind to somehow find the suddenly missing link from Netto.

The cry alerted Yuuichiro. "Rockman calm down! What's wrong!?" the scientist and worried father asked.

"I can't feel Netto-kun! He's gone! I can't feel him!" Rockman cried frantically, still searching through his mind for the link—for his brother.

"I'm sure the worry is just getting to you. I'm sure Netto-san is fine," Blues tried to reassure, even though he was completely at a loss for what his comrade meant by not feeling his net-op.

Rockman shook his head, his hands clinging to his helmet as if he could somehow grab the lost link. "No, no," he repeated over. "I can always feel Netto-kun. Always! And he's…I can't feel him!"

"Rockman!" Blues cried out, totally unprepared to handle a situation like this. But despite his best efforts, Rockman just continued to shake his head frantically from side to side, crying, "I can't feel him! Where is he? Netto-kun…I can't feel him!"

With Rockman's fit, it took a moment for anyone to realize Ueda had come out from the surgery room. He looked tired, worn out, and discouraged.

"I'm so sorry," he said once he had the Hikari's attention, his voice sounding as if it might break any moment. "With all my heart, I wish I did not have to tell you this…again… but…your son is gone."

Blues barely caught Rockman as he collapsed, still whispering that awful phrase, "I can't feel him. He's gone. I can't feel him. He's gone."


	32. The Final Battle

I'M GOING TO TAIWAN! XD If any of you have checked out my bio page, you've known for awhile that I was leaving, but now I know where. I'm so excited! But I promise I'll finish this story before I go in January since I won't be able to write or post on ffnet because of what I'm doing.

Okay, here is chapter 32.

And I think I forgot this line last chapter (oops!): I do NOT own . I'm just a not-for-profit writer trying to keep alive since the for-profit writers quit for other jobs. T_T

-----

_Chapter 32: The Final Battle_

Decay and desertion consumed the landscape before them. There were a few buildings, but what was there was rapidly breaking apart, scattering digits of blue data into the dark sky. The dissipation of data in the empty void above was like the embers of a deadly blue fire dying in the black abyss of night.

In the midst of all the decay stood a large castle, the only building that was not casting blue fragments into the air. There it stood: solid, high, and formidable in the dark shadows of the land.

"That's where Myst is," Mirageman whispered to the twins.

"Figures," Lightman whispered back. "Bad guys tend to like the biggest, grandest things around."

"Aside from the fact that it's the only structure still standing," Rockman added.

Slezz sighed sadly. "It's so sad to see the true Eon Net, our beautiful home, reach this point." The rest of the navis and Eonites nodded in agreement.

"Well, we can't fix it if we don't get moving," Slash said. Again, everyone nodded before standing and beginning the trek into the ruined city. It was not long before they stopped by those they anticipated to meet:

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Dark sneered. The evil multitude behind him—an army far larger than any Lightman and Rockman had ever seen yet—snickered at their militant leader's words. "SHUT UP!" Dark barked. The snickers stopped.

"You know very well who we are, and you know why as well," Slezz snarled. The twins had never seen the normally cheerful navi so serious and angry. It seemed even the intensity of the coming battle had even reached Echo's right hand's head. "Let's just get to whole reason why we are all here—to end this once and for all. Unless you rather just save us all the trouble and surrender? 'Cause that would be convenient for all of us, I think," Slezz said.

Dark laughed. "Yeah right, Slezz."

Slezz smiled. "Thought you would say that. SNOW SHURIKEN!" With the throwing of the deadly snowflake-shaped weapons, the last battle finally began.

"You two know what to do," Mirageman said to Rockmann and Lightman. Both blue navis nodded and then slowly moved away as Mirageman and his soldiers rushed forward to battle with Myst.

"Come on, Lightman," Rockman whispered as he motioned to his left. "That tunnel should be somewhere over here."

Lightman once more nodded and followed his elder twin. They slowly made there way according to plan without looking suspicious. It would be a disaster if any of Myst's followers realized what they were doing. In the end, however, it was not too difficult to get where they needed to go: everyone was so consumed in the battle that all they saw were two small navis, battling like to the rest. Even the smarter ones of Myst's forces that would have noticed the constant, but rough, movement left would have thought that the pattern was simply the way the onslaught was driving the two. It fact, these navis would have been pleased because the twins were drifting farther and farther apart.

No one noticed when the twins had slipped from the battle all together.

"Are you okay, Lightman?" Rockman asked quietly as they darted away fromt the battle in the shadows of rocks and broken buildings.

"Yeah," Lightman said. "I tried to stay with you, but that one navi was good at manipulating the direction of his opponent. Can't say much for his defense though. Are you okay too?"

Rockman nodded, trying to mellow his thumping heart. The short separation from his brother had made him anxious, as usual. "I think that tunnel Slezz mentioned is right over here," he said, darting to the left. They came to a large broken wall with an almost unnoticeable hole beneath it.

"This it?" Lightman said as he examined the tunnel entrance. Rockman examined it closely and then nodded.

"I think so," he said.

"Okay, then let's go and kick some Myst butt," Lightman said as he squirmed into the tight, dark hole, followed by Rockman.

Once in the tunnel, Lightman gave out a low, long whistle. "Sure is dark in here."

"Yeah," Rockman agreed.

"Hope there aren't any ghosts in here," Lightman said offhandedly.

"Gh…ghosts!" Rockman yelped.

Lightman laughed. "Same old Ro…OW!!! Rockman! Why'd you hit me!? That hurt!"

"Don't say stuff like that, Lightman!" Rockman said. "You know I don't like…like…"

"Ghosts?" Lightman finished.

"Right," Rockman said. "At any rate, we need to stay focused! Myst is not going to be an easy opponent."

"Yeah, yeah. Then let's go," Lightman said before taking off at a light jog into the dark.

Rockman shivered. "Lightman. Why'd you have to mention ghosts?" he said before following his brother into the foreboding darkness, keeping his eyes and ears open for any threat: living or not.

------

"Okay, when they said this tunnel led straight to the castle, I didn't think they meant _into_ the castle," Lightman said as he hoisted himself out of the hole and into the dark halls of Myst's castle.

Rockman also crawled out of the hole, giving a sigh of relief. Luckily, they had not run into any specters in the dark, abandoned tunnel they had just come out of. Now he could finally stop thinking about ghosts. The blue battler looked around the dark halls…maybe not...

"Don't you think there would be guards? Or viruses at least?" Rockman asked.

"You'd think," Lightman answered. "But maybe he's just that sloppy and sent all his forces to the battlefield."

Rockman gave a thoughtful sigh as he mulled it over in his mind. "He may have set a trap too. Like Regal did when we attacked his space station."

"That…could be possible too," Lightman said.

"We should be careful," Rockman said. Lightman nodded in agreement. "Let's go," Rockman said and once again the two headed closer to the final battle. It was not hard to find where they were going. Echo and the rest had all given careful and detailed instructions. They had given them so many times that even Lightman (the brilliant student he had been) could recite the instructions by heart in his sleep.

Before they realized it, they were at the doors of the main great hall of Myst.

The doors opened on their own accord.

"Welcome, Twins of Light," a smooth, calm voice said as the door opened to reveal the dark room. Lightman could not help but think "_that's no doubt the voice of a crazy, over-confident bad guy_." The twins entered the room, ready for an attack from any direction. Myst chuckled casually, the sound of it echoing throughout the entire room so that Rockman and Lightman could not determine where the source was. "There is no reason to be so defensive. Is it because you cannot see me? Well, maybe this will help." The sound of hands being clapped echoed through the great hall and bluish-tinted lights came on, casting the room in a dim haze. The lights lit the room so that Rockman and Lightman could only just see their surroundings. To the front was a high throne in which a navi both recognized as Myst sat. "Is that better?" Myst cooed.

The brothers pointed their busters at their foe.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Myst said, shaking his head as he stood up. "You seem to think I am a real threat."

"Well duh," Lightman snapped. "You haven't given us much reason to think otherwise."

"So you've heard the terrible rumors? Well, I must assure you, they are all lies. My dear sister, Echo, always did have a way for twisting and exaggerating stories," Myst said coolly. "I never betrayed her, you see. No, it was quiet the opposite: she betrayed me. All I wanted was a better world for her, us navis, the Eonites, and of course humans as well. But Echo was selfish. She did not care if our communities were forever separated, estranged from one another and a fear between all parties."

"That may be so, Myst," Rockman said. "But your means to accomplish that wish are all wrong. There is nothing right about hurting and killing innocent people."

"If there is ever to be change, there must be sacrifices as well," Myst said flippantly, waving off the accusation with his hand.

"Even if that were true, you made no effort to reduce those sacrifices," Lightman said angrily. "You've already hurt so many: navis, Eonites, and humans alike. And even if you did bring together the dimensions, my gut tells me you'd be a wicked leader who would 'sacrifice' more with little thought or proposition if they threatened _you_! There's a difference to fighting for people and pure terrorism!"

Mysts countenance shifted from one of friendliness and aloofness to one of pure hatred and wickedness. "This world must be punished for its crimes! I am that means by which punishment must come! But I see you are as stupid as the rest! Blindsided by humanity and my sister! Very well, this will be your grave." Both Lightman and Rockman barely got their bearings as the ground began to shake. "I'm truly sorry that you'll never see my perfect world."

"Myst! That's enough!"

The ground ceased to shake and the three occupants of the room looked up to see Echo, glowing softly with a gentle white light in the mid-air.

Myst smiled evilly. "Why Sister, isn't it nice to see you? Come to see the demise of your precious twin soldiers, have you?"

"Brother, I have all trust in them," Echo said, giving the twins a smile as she said this. She returned to her brother: "I am here to give you one last chance. Come, let us together build up a better world through a better means—one where there need be no more death."

Myst laughed. "As if! Passive ways never work! This world must suffer in order to build a new world where no one will be kicked out like we were! Everyone will have a purpose."

"And if they do not fit _your _purpose?" Echo asked.

"They will be disposed of," Myst said, waving his hand off. "No one will be left to wander without a purpose, to face the sorrows we did."

"That's messed up!" Lightman burst out. "If they don't have a purpose that you see, you'll kill them!? Where is the justice in that!? That is worse than what happened to you!"

Rockman picked up: "Lightman's right! Everyone has a purpose—but how can they find it if you kill them before they find it?"

"You don't know what it's like to have no purpose!" Myst yelled angrily.

"But you did have one," Rockman said. "Even if you could not be a base of the internet like for what you were originally designed, you fulfilled a great purpose by helping the Eonites in their time of need." Myst glared at them angrily, but Rockman continued, "Our purpose is established every time we help someone, even if it is only one person. By helping one person at a time—that is how the world is truly changed."

"You can never force change," Echo said. "Gentle, kind means always reap more rewards than death."

"Shut up!" Myst barked angrily. "None of you know anything! Parents punish children when they misbehave! Justice systems punish people when they commit crimes! There always needs to be a punishment to remind beings to never do something bad again! And I am the one who needs to punish the world for their misdeeds!" Myst then looked up and glared at Echo. "BREAKING CHAINS!"

Before anyone could move, dark, thick chains shot out of the ground and wrapped around Echo.

"ECHO!" both blue navis yelled as they saw the attack tighten around the Eon Net leader.

"Let her go!" Lightman demanded, pointing his buster at Myst.

Myst smiled evilly. "Who am I to deny the twin navis of legend? Very well." The chains loosened around Echo, causing her to fall limply to the ground. Once more, the brothers called out Echo's name, but found they could not move. Myst laughed as his chains wrapped around Lightman and Rockman. "I'll let you have the pleasure of decaying first!"

"Lightman!" Rockman called out weakly, trying his best to reach out for his younger brother. Lightman tried to reach as well, Myst laughing hysterically as he watched the twins' futile efforts.

"Hold on Rockman," Lightman called out weakly.

"My...my data's breaking apart," Rockman said.

"That's the intended effect of my 'breaking chains' attack," Myst said, his eyes gleefully taking in the scene before him. "My chains wrap around you and then break apart the data that they engulf. You see, my intended purpose was to clean up the internet by taking waste data and breaking it apart. Then, from that, Echo was to build up new, working things—things that had a purpose. Sort of like a recycle program. I'm here to break apart this world and build a better one."

"You'll never win," Lightman said.

"Oh, but I am winning," Myst said.

"Not if we can help it," Echo said, struggling to her feet. "REPLENISHING LIGHT!"

A bright light emitted from Echo and flew toward the struggling navis. It tore the chains apart and released the twins. The light continued to engulf the twins as they were rebuilt and provided with new energy. However, once the light faded, Echo fell back to the ground, exhausted by her efforts.

"You're always in the way!" Myst screamed. "But you _will not interfere_ anymore! DARK DISMAL!" A dark ray fell from the ceiling and engulfed Echo. She let out a deafening scream as the attack began to tear her apart. The twins ran to try and pull her out, but someone beat them to her by dashing into the ray and knocking the barely surviving Echo out.

"Green!" both twins called surprised once they were able to see who had rescued Echo.

The youngest Eon child panted heavily. "Don't mind me! I'll get Echo out! Just take care of Myst! You are the only ones who can save us!" she cried before logging out with Echo in tow, never giving Rockman and Lightman a chance to respond.

Myst snorted. "A lot of good that will do! There will be no where for them to go when I win."

"Then let's make sure you don't win!" Rockman said. "SAMURAI SWORD!" Rockman summoned the weapon and leapt at Myst, followed closely by Lightman, who had summoned a paladin sword.

Myst smirked. "Let's finish this. BREAKING CHAINS!"

Having seen the attack before, both were able to dodge the attack and keep from being intertwined by the long series of links. However, the chains did fulfill a purpose by keeping the twins from hitting Myst.

"Okay, different approach," Lightman said, putting away the Paladin Sword. "High Cannon!" The blue weapon formed on Lightman's hand and the navi took careful aim. "FIRE!"

Myst laughed as several chains burst from the ground, creating a forminable blockade against Lightman's attack. "That didn't work. So what are you going to do now?"

Lightman grimaced than smirked. "Let's try this! Style Change! Aqua Custom!" Several rings surrounded Lightman as he was engulfed in a bright blue light.

"So this is the legendary style change, huh?" Myst said. "I am so honored that you consider me an opponent worthy of facing it."

"Oh, shut up," Lightman said as he came out of the style change. "Spread Gun! Slot In!" Lightman's hands began to glow as aqua custom took effect and multiplied the Spread Gun data to create a program advance. "HYPER BURST!"

The large wave of energy tore its way toward Myst with such force that not even his chains could stand up to the attack. However, they did their job by reducing hyper burst's attack so that Myst was able to dodge, unscathed.

"Nice attack. Too bad it wasn't enough,"

"You forget there are two of us!" Rockman said. "And Lightman gave me enough room and time for this: DREAM SWORD!"

"Curse you," Myst spat as he attempted to dodge the second program advance, succeeding in only avoiding a direct hit. He stood up from the fallen position that such an attack had caused. He chuckled to himself as he did.

"What's so funny?" Lightman demanded.

Myst grinned at them. "That one hit was not bad," he said. "It's been a long time since I had a worthy opponent and I guess it caught me off guard." His smiled widened. "I learned my mistake. Now the battle really begins!" Myst opened his arms as if to embrace something. "DARK DISMAL!"

Two of the dark rays that had damaged Echo shot down. The attack was so quick that Lightman and Rockman barely dodged the deadly attacks. Myst, however, just laughed when he saw the twins dodge. "It won't be so easy," he said to himself.

"What's he up to?" Lightman asked.

"I don't kn…ah! Lightman!" Rockman barely pushed his brother away as another ray hit where they had been moments before. Rockman looked around. Everywhere, Myst's evil attack cast down more rays, seeking its opponent out. But what was more, rays that had already appeared remained and where growing. In a few moments, the entire room would be one giant Dark Dismal attack.

"Get it now?" Myst jeered. "You can't escape! Soon there will be no where to run!"

Both Lightman and Rockman grimaced. "Well then, we'll just have to stop you from finishing the attack!" Lightman yelled. "Vulcan!" Again, the Aqua Custom style change multiplied the chip to create a program advance. "INFINITY VULCAN!"

Myst just chuckled to himself as the bullets from the attack bounced off an aura around the evil navi.

"Fine," Lightman spat. "North Wind!"

"Fumikomizan!" Rockman yelled a second later. He disappeared from his spot as Lightman's North Wind attack blew down Myst's shield.

Again Myst laughed as he grabbed Rockman by the wrist just as he appeared, countering the sword on Rockman's other hand with his own sword, which emitted off a dark aura.

Rockman's eyes grew wide. "A Dark Chip!?"

"Something like," he said as he twisted Rockman's arm to throw him back a little before slashing him with his Dark Sword.

"ROCKMAN!" Lightman yelled as he watched his brother being thrown back against the wall behind Myst with incredible force. He yelped as his arm brushed against the ever approaching Dark Dismal attack.

"So much for the Eonite legend of the Twins of Light!" Myst said. "It's all a bunch of fairy…"

"DARKNESS OVERLOAD!"

Myst never finished his sentence as the dark ball of energy hit him from above. Lightman and Rockman let out a small sigh of relief as the Dark Dismal rays dissipated. Their gaze turned upward.

"Who dares...!?" Myst cried out, standing up weakly after taking a direct hit from such a large attack. He chuckled again when he looked up and saw who had attacked him. "Come to join the party, have?" Myst said. "To bad neither you nor your friends will be going home after this one, …Forte."


	33. Final Farewell

Disclaimer: I do not own Rockman. I do not even know if I can even claim Lightman because he's just Netto v2. =.=

_Chapter 33: Final Farewell_

It was the first time and last time anyone saw Rockman in his months of mourning.

Still, even though everyone knew that Rockman would take Netto's death hardly, no one suspected that he would take it this hardly. After all, Rockman had always been a rather social navi who took strength from having others around him. It seemed impossible that he would completely shut himself from the entire world.

But he did.

Blues had stayed with the Rockman (at Enzan's bidding) the entire night that first night of Netto's death, but after he left, Rockman had blocked all access to his PET. All manner of efforts were made to get to Rockman in order to comfort him, but all attempts ended up futile and the various people and navis who had made the attempts were left empty handed.

For Rockman, everything was just one big blur, and a dark, empty one at that. For him, everything had come to a complete stop; every minute, every hour, and every day was just like the rest—hollow and without purpose. Rockman was so consumed with such a dark void in his soul that he wondered how such a dreadful feeling could exist. He felt numb and dead. And the worst part was that the link that he had always relied on for comfort was gone. There was such a hole in him from where the link with his brother had been that it surprised him that the rest of him did not just disappear as well.

He wished he would.

There were days when he would wake up and forget for a moment that nothing was right. But then, just as he was about to yell at Netto to get up like always had for the entirety of his existence as a navi, he'd remember and the empty spot in him would become painfully obvious. Sometimes he would then cry, but other times, it hurt too much to even do that.

Now here it was: Netto's funeral.

Ironically, it was a beautiful day—a bright sunny one that Netto had always liked best. But Rockman did not notice; it could have been a hurricane and he would not have noticed.

He did not oppose when Yuuichiro undid the lock on the PET that he had done up. In no time, all his friends were filing up to console him, telling him how they had been constantly trying to get a hold of him. They commented on how they would like to help him and how they did not blame him for not noticing their attempts to help him in his state of shock; however, in this second matter, they were wrong.

Rockman was all too painfully aware of many of the things that were going on around him, including the efforts made to help him. But he simply could not face them. What did they know of a lose like his? How could they when they had never even realized what he and Netto really were to each other? But despite these thoughts, he still did not have a real valid excuse for locking everyone out. Over and over his logic told him that maybe they _could _help, but then his heart and his feelings would drag him down, pushing him to believe that he just could not stand the facing everyone. After all, he usually had been the strong one that supported _them_, not the other way around.

The attempts to comfort him were not the only thing that Rockman had noticed. He also was aware of those coming in and out of the Hikari household to help Netto's grief-stricken mother. It was Meiru that visited the most often. They would talk about Netto, taking comfort from all the wonderful memories that they had of him. They would laugh at the memory of his antics and bad-habits—then cry because there would never be such things again.

It was worse when no one was home with Haruka. Haruka would do her best to keep a schedule and the appearance of normality, but she would always break down crying as she did the many chores that a household, even an empty one, required. She no doubt felt very alone: her second son was dead; her husband was always gone, drowning himself in his work like he always did when he was in pain; and her first son had locked himself away in the absence of his brother, seemingly in such shock that he could not even take notice of anything going on around him. It was at these time, watching his mother cry, that Rockman felt the worst. In addition to that emptiness in him, there was a desire to help his mother in her grief as well. After all, they both had loved Netto. He would try to reach out to her, but was always stopped short by his inability to help her. After all, what comfort could he offer, when he had none himself?

Not even the tears that he shed at these times released any of his sorrow.

"Rockman-san?"

Rockman looked up slightly to see a navi he did not recognize.

"My name is Wishman," the blue and white navi introduced. "I am Botan-kun's new navi. He wanted to talk to you." A window with Botan's crying face came up where Wishman indicated.

"Ro…Rockman, I'm so sorry," Botan cried. Rockman looked away. There was silence as Rockman said nothing, unable to come up with anything to say in response. After an awkward moment, Botan continued. "I…I kept my promise...to Netto-san!" Botan said. Rockman looked back at Botan. "I don't have HBD anymore. It'll be a little before I'm completely healthy, but…" This time, it was Botan who looked away. There was another moment of silence before Botan finished, this time speaking in a whisper: "…but I thought you'd like to know I kept my promise. Since I can't tell Netto-san directly…"

Again there was silence, but this time it was broken by Rockman, who spoke in a small whisper as well.

"Thank you."

It was two words and there was much more that could have been said, but both knew what what was being said without words—Netto would have been glad.

Botan was the only one that Rockman spoke to that day, even though almost every navi he had ever known had come up to talk to him. Word of Netto's death had spread far and almost everyone who had ever known Netto had come to celebrate his life and to give their last good-byes. There were even people no one expected to come, including the members of WWW and Dark Miyabi. Masa had almost started a fight with them, suspicious as to why any of them would be there except to cause trouble, but Laika quickly broke it up. He almost escorted the strange fish seller out before he was informed by several people that Masa had been a close friend to Netto, so Laika settled for a quick reprimand. Yuriko later hinted that for she even saw Wily come pay respects to the young hero for a moment.

From far and wide they had come, all having been brought together by that one, seemingly mere boy. It was all the same for everyone there—regardless of how anyone of had first come to know that boy, there was no doubt that every single life there had been changed for the better by Hikari Netto. They all knew it and could not deny it. By the end of the service, as the casket was lowered into the deep hole that would be the final resting place of their friend, son, comrade, rival, and hero, there was not a dry eye, even among the strongest. There was at least wetness in their eyes as they each said their final goodbyes to the stone that would forever mark his existence in this world:

_Hikari Netto_

_June 10, 20XX to July 21, 20XX_

_A Smile_

_A Hope_

_A Hero_

_May the Angels Guide Him Home_

------------------------------

By the way, here's a little tidbit. Just like I picked Lightman's name for a reason (see Chapter 10 bonus), I also picked Botan's name for a reason. His name means "long life" in Japanese.


	34. An Unbreakable Bond

In honor of Rockman's birthday (21 years! XD), I'm posting two chapters. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROCKMAN!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rockman.

_Chapter 34: An Unbreakable Bond_

"Come to join the party, have we?" Myst said. "To bad neither you nor your friends will be going home after this one …Forte."

The cloaked navi spat in his distaste for Myst. "I doubt it," Forte said. "Hell's Rolling!"

The dark wheels of energy spiraled toward Myst, who gracefully jumped out of the way. Rockman and Lightman, in the meantime, looked at each other and nodded. They too then jumped in the air, summoning their busters as they did. The room became full of dark wheels and glowing magenta balls as Rockman, Lightman, and Forte all attempted to hit their opponent, who jumped from spot to spot at a high speed. It did not take long for them to become frustrated with their inability to hit the agile Myst, but it was Forte who first ceased his attempts through his current method and tried a more direct approach.

"Darkness Blade!" Forte cried as he speed toward his opponent, both arms transformed into dark purple swords.

Myst grinned as he greeted the blades with his own sword. The two danced together in a complex dance as the swords provided the tune with their clashing.

"Let's get in there," Rockman said.

Lightman grinned. "I was thinking just the same thing," Lightman said, already summoning a long sword. The two brothers dashed in, only to be thrown back by a barrage of chains.

"It's time I turned the tide to this battle," Myst said angrily. His sword then began to glow. He swiped it at Forte, who grunted as a wave of energy hit him, forcing him to fly back into the wall.

"Forte!" Rockman cried out in alarm. He broke through the chains that blocked his way and rushed to his hurt ally, despite Lightman's demands to stay away.

"Are you okay?" Rockman asked as the reached Forte's side.

"Don't insult me," Forte said angrily as he struggled to get up. "And stay away from me," he said as Rockman went to try and support him. "We may have a truce, but I still do not need _your_ pitiful help."

"Oh, how sweet," Myst mocked. "Two rivals helping one another."

"Rockman! Stay away from him!" Lightman yelled, still worried that Forte may try to pull something against his darker blue companion.

"Forte, we need to win this," Rockman said softly. "You have a lot of power, but alone it may not be enough."

"Don't preach to me your weak beliefs," Forte spat.

"Fine then," Rockman said, continuing to be calm. "_I _don't have enough power. Will you lend me yours?" Forte looked up at Rockman as the blue navi offered his hand.

Lightman's stomach sank. "Don't do it, Rockman!"

Rockman looked at his brother. "It may be the only way," he said. He turned back to Forte. "Please, will you help me?"

"ROCKMAN!" Lightman screamed.

Myst simply smirked as he watched the drama unfold.

Forte lifted his hand up to the one offering. "Fine," he spat.

The crests of the two navis began to glow. Lightman's eyes widened as he watched the light beginning to grow between the two navis. This could not be happening! He almost lost his brother the last time this happened—would he loose him this time!?

Lightman screamed out his brother's name, but it was too late—the light had already consumed Rockman and Forte, sending out a whirlwind of energy in the space around them.

The light died away to reveal the fused navis.

"So this is the Forte-cross Rockman, is it?" Myst said, closely studying the black, purple, and silver navi. "Interesting."

"Hell's Rolling!" Forte-cross Rockman yelled as he released the two dark spirals of energy. Being faster, bigger, and stronger than the previous Hell's Rolling attacks, Myst had a harder time dodging the attack, but nevertheless he succeeded. Forte-cross Rockman continued to unleash the attacks, occasionally throwing in a Darkness Overload or Earthbreaker. It was a game of cat and mouse, as the fused navi's chased the terrorist navis around, neither gaining the upperhand, mostly because Rockman was scared too big of an attack would harm Lightman.

But then Myst was cornered.

However, Myst did not seem at all concerned about his current predicament. In fact, he even began to chuckle, which soon became a full-blown laugh.

"He…he's gone nuts," Lightman whispered to himself.

Myst then stopped laughing and smirked. "Now it's time for the counterattack," he said in a low voice.

"Look out!" Lightman yelled as the ground began to shake.

"It's too late!" Myst screamed with glee. "BREAKING CHAINS!"

The long band of links shot out of the ground toward Forte-cross Rockman with frightening speed. Forte-cross Rockman blasted and swiped at the hundreds of chains around him, but as soon as one disappeared, two more showed up to take his place. Before long, Myst's chains had firmly grasped the fused navi within its grip. Both navis in the fusion screamed as the chains began to literally tear them apart.

"ROCKMAN!" Lightman yelled as he started to run toward his now un-fused twin.

Myst laughed. "You should have known better!" Myst said over the loud sound of screams and hard metal rubbing against itself. "Fuse something together!? It serves no point when I am meant to break things apart!"

Lightman pointed his buster at Myst. "Let him go!" he demanded.

"You didn't say please," Myst said as he raised his hand. "But don't think I've forgotten you." He snapped. "Here's your presesnt." Chains exploded from the ground beneath Lightman

"Li…Light…man!" the fragmented Rockman called out, weakly reaching for his brother.

"Nii…san…" Lightman cried back.

"At least you'll all be together in death," Myst said, "Twins of Legend, Forte…it's been fun." Myst then turned to leave, letting his chains to finish his work.

"Com…Come back, you!" Lightman snarled weakly. "We're not done!"

Myst looked back over his shoulder. "I think otherwise."

Lightman shook his head. "No! We've never lost! I're not going to leave everyone I care about! Not again!"

"I'd say you don't have a choice," Myst sneered.

"There's always a choice!" Lightman said. He turned back to his brother. "Rockman!"

"Lightman," Rockman called back.

"I promised I wouldn't leave you," he cried. "Promise you won't leave me either."

"I…I promise," Rockman said, trying harder to reach his brother.

"This truly is sickening," Myst said. "Your sentimental jabberin…"

"FULL-SYNCRO!"

For a second time, a light exploded in the room.

"What is this!?" Myst screeched as he was blown back by the whirlwind emitting from the light.

"This is our promise," a echoing voice responded from the light. The light then dissipated in a great display, but the twins were gone and Myst could only watch as an unconscious Forte fell to the ground, heavily fragmented.

Myst looked around him franticly as he stood up. "Where are you!?" he demanded of the brothers.

"Right here," the same echoing voice said from behind. Myst did not have any time to turn around much less defend before he was hit by a powerful punch that sent him flying into the wall behind him.

Myst looked up. Walking toward him was Rockman, but this time different. He was a dark sea-green with light stripes that glittered and sparkled. Lightman was no where to be seen.

"What trick is this?" Myst said, as he stood up.

"Our bond," Rockman's voice came, echoing itself. "We have fused together, becoming one. This is Saito-style."

Myst smirked. "Have you forgotten? I break bonds apart! Even the most powerful ones known to man—just like Forte-cross Rockman! BREAKING CHAINS!"

The chains once more erupted from the ground and wrapped around Saito-style, who made no effort to dodge.

"Stupid navis," Myst said, a smile of victory crossing his face. But then his face fell as light began to explode from the ball the chains had formed. Myst covered his face as the whole bundle was consumed in light and exploded. When Myst lowered his arms, there stood Saito-style, unscathed.

"How!?" Myst screeched.

"Our bond can't be broken," the echoing voice of Saito-style said.

Myst shook his head. "No!" he yelled. "I won't loose! DARK DISMAL!"

The dark rays of the attack began to shoot down again. Saito-style jumped out of the way and disappeared from Myst's sight.

"You can't run away!" Myst screeched.

Saito-style reappeared and landed gracefully a few feet behind where he had been before. He raised his arms above his head and then lowered them so that they were stretched out on either side of him. "We're not running away," the fused voices of Rockman and Lightman said. "We're ending this war once and for all."

And with that, Saito-style began to glow. The light continued to grow and soon spread throughout the entire room, canceling out the dark rays of the dark dismal attack.

Myst screamed as he was consumed in the bright light.

And then he was no more.

The light died and Saito-style stood alone. He lowered his arms and sighed.

"We did it," he said. Saito-style then closed his eyes and Lightman and Rockman separated from each other.

They promptly collapsed, torn and exhausted.


	35. Rockman's New Companion

Disclaimer: I do not own .

_Chapter 35: Rockman's New Companion_

Haruka looked up surprised from the television when she heard someone come in the door of her empty home.

"Yuuichiro-san?" she said, startled to see that her husband had actually come home early. It had always been a rare thing for him to even come home on time when things were normal, and when their precious son died, he had never accomplished even that feat. Many nights he did not even come home at all. Many speculated that the scientist was trying to forget the pain of death by drowning himself in work.

"Haruka," scientist said, almost out of breathe. "Where's Rockman?"

"He's upstairs, I think. In the PET," Haruka said, wondering why her husband was acting so bizarelly.

"Let's get him and then head over to Sci-lab," Yuuichiro said quickly as he grabbed a light jacket for his wife. "I have something for you two."

"What's the rush?" Haruka asked as she accepted the jacket.

"You'll see," Yuuichiro said as he dashed up the stairs to grab Rockman's PET.

-----

"There you are," Meijin greeted as Yuuichiro hurried his wife into his lab. "He's almost done finalizing."

"Okay," Yuuichiro acknowledged. He then turned to the PET in his hand. "I'm going to plug you in, Rockman."

"Okay, Papa. But what is going on?" Rockman asked. He, like Haruka, was disturbed by Yuuichiro's sudden excited mood.

Yuuichiro just smiled. "I told you, you'll see. Now, plug-in, Rockman." He pointed the small grey and blue PET toward the main console and a red light shot from the end of the handheld device to a small black square on the computer. "Meijin, turn on the monitor please."

Meijin nodded and did as he was told. Yuiichiro went over to his wife and embraced her.

The main screen flickered to life and the three humans in the room could see the cyber world. They could also see Rockman standing there, his back turned to them as he stared at the thing in front of him.

"Papa…what is this?" Rockman asked, slightly confused as to why he was looking straight into a sleeping face exactly like his own. Yuuichiro just smiled. "Papa?" Rockman asked as he looked back at his parents. He was surprised to see his mother smiling. It was hard to see that smile behind the hand she held up in front of her mouth and the tears that were welling up in her eyes, but she was certainly smiling. Yuuichiro held her gently and gently kissed her on her head.

Rockman turned back to the sleeping figure before him. He looked exactly like him except that he was a lighter blue in general, though his stripes were darker.

"He's done," Meijin finally said. The rings cycling the sleeping navi suddenly stopped and then disappeared. The navi floated to the ground and stood still, Rockman looking at him in puzzlement. Then the navi began to open his eyes—the same green as Rockman's. He blinked once, twice…

"ROCKMAN!" the navi cheered as he jumped on the startled Rockman, grasping him in a tight embrace. After a moment in which Rockman was to suprised to struggle against the sudden embrace, the navi whispered in his ear, "I told you I'd never leave you."

A feeling of recognition welled up inside Rockman. He pushed the other navi from the embrace and looked at him. The eyes were the same green as his, but they had they same light and energy he knew all too well.

"Ne…Netto-kun?" Rockman sputtered.

"In the flesh…er, data," Netto said. Rockman just looked at his twin in disbelief. It seemed like it was impossible, but yet, here he was, right before him. Sure he looked different overall, but the light in his eyes was the same, the brightness in his smile characteristically Netto's. There were things that could never be duplicated because they were distinctly his brother's, and there was no doubt that they were here, right before him.

Tears welled up in Rockman's eyes as the realization finally hit him. The link was coming back too. The empty hole that had consumed him for over a month was now full of the special bond that only he and Netto-kun had shared.

"NETTO-KUN!" This time it was Rockman's turn to jump on his brother and hold him in a tight embrace. "I thought I lost you…" Rockman sobbed.

"You're not going to get rid of me that easily," Netto joked. He then broke the hug and looked at his parents. "Mama! Papa!"

Haruka tried to wipe away the tears that she had been shedding, but to no avail.

"Welcome back, Netto," Yuuichiro said.

"Thanks for bringing me back," Netto said.

Netto looked back at his brother. "This is so cool and so weird all at the same time," he said.

"Huh, how?" Rockman asked.

"Being in the internet like this. Seeing you like this. Mama and Papa too," he said. Netto cast a longing look at his parents from the side.

"It's hard not being able to go and hug him, isn't it?" Rockman said understandingly.

Netto turned back his attention to his brother and nodded. However, he quickly gave a wide grin. "However, now I can hug you!" Once more, Rockman found himself being pulled into a hug. The two twins laughed and cried together.

The humans watching smiled, happy to see the two reunited. Even though Yuuichiro and Haruka longed to also embrace their sons, they also felt a great sense of satisfaction that their sons could have the privilege to embrace each other. They both knew that it had something their sons had always wanted.

Netto broke the embrace once more and bounded away. "Man, I feel so light! No wonder you can move the way you do!"

"Uh, yeah," Rockman said, smiling as he watched his brother excitedly move around the cyber room and look himself over.

"It's like a kid at Christmas," Meijin remarked.

"Hey, Rockman, come get me!" Netto called as he took off.

Rockman shook his head. "He has so much energy," he mumbled to himself. But then again, that was part of what made Netto Netto.

"You're not gonna get me just standing there!" Netto called.

"Okay!" Rockman said as he took off in a mad dash to catch his brother. Netto was quick and pretty good at dodging, but Rockman was more experienced and after a while was able to catch his brother by tackling him to the ground.

Netto breathed heavily. "That was fun."

"You're too much," Rockman said, smiling broadly as he looked down at his brother.

"Ya know," Lightman began, "you're going to have to teach me a lot. About being a navi."

"It's not that hard," Rockman said. "It should come pretty naturally. Especially since you've cross-fused before."

"Maybe, but it's different," Netto said. "There is so much more I can do as a navi that I couldn't do even in cross-fusion."

"I guess that's true," Rockman said. The twins smiled each other, not at all minding that Rockman was still pinning Netto down on his back.

"Oh, there's one more thing," Netto said. "I have a different name now that I'm navi, just like you have a different name."

"Okay, what is it?" Rockman asked. Netto just smiled mischievously. "Don't make me guess it!" Rockman playfully yelled, unconsciously pressing down harder on Netto's wrists.

"Ow!" Netto cried.

Rockman realized he was still holding Netto down and quickly got off. "Sorry, Netto-kun."

"It's okay," Nettto said, sitting up and rubbing his wrists. "You're not a powerful battler for no reason."

"So, are you going to tell me your name?" Rockman said.

Netto finished rubbing his wrists and smiled. "Yep," he said. "Call me Lightman."


	36. Together

What the heck is this with the combining of the "RockmanEXE" and "Mega Man" sections!? Not that I have any problems with the other Rockmen (I did just buy Megaman X8. :) AXL!!! XD), but getting through all the stories can be a little hard. Maybe we should suggest another dropdown box that will sort the stories by series… Okay, I'm done rambling. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own RockmanEXE.

_Chapter 36: Together_

"Rockman…"

It had been Roll who had whispered the familiar name. She and many others of his friends had come to Sci-Lab when news had spread that he and Lightman had been discovered in a remote section of Sci-Lab after an alarm had gone off, unconscious and on the verge of deletion. No one had any idea how they had gotten there, who had set the Sci-Lab alarm off, and, above all, why the pair was so heavily damaged. Some speculated that someone had broken in and Rockman and Lightman just happened to be there at that time and a difficult battle had ensued, resulting in their near deletion. However, many others, including those who knew Rockman and Lightman better, doubted such a story—no battle that would nearly kill the two battlers would go unnoticed by the rest of the Sci-Lab. No, certainly something more drastic had happened. Laika theorized that maybe another assassination attempt on the twins had occurred. This time, the twins had barely won and somehow made it back to Sci-Lab, setting off the alarm once they arrived in order to alert everyone to their presence before finally passing out. The battle, Laika concluded, must have occurred in the Undernet because, again, a battle that could do so much damage to such exceptional warriors would not have gone unnoticed by officials. When Laika shared his thoughts with the others in the room awaiting the twins' recovery, every agreed that it was a likely story.

"I wish they wouldn't do things like this," Tomahawkman said, tapping his foot rather impatiently. "They should know that they have friends that are willing to help them. But all they have been is tight-lipped. We have no idea what has been going on with them."

"Well, Rockman has changed drastically since Netto-san died," Numberman mentioned. "Maybe the shock of losing his net-op has resulted in his dread of losing someone else and he has therefore kept his concerns to himself?"

"And Lightman's just along for the ride since he was made to accompany Rockman…" Tomahawkman mused.

"Well, they still should know better!" Yaito said. "Netto would be disappointed in Rockman for putting himself in such danger."

"I would like to know how they got into such danger," Searchman continued. "It makes no sense as to why Myst would target them with such diligence." Blues nodded in agreement.

"How is that whole thing with going with Myst anyway?" Dekao asked.

Laika shook his head. "Not good. We don't get very many leads and it seems the only lead we do have," at this, he looked at the twins, "have not been very cooperative."

"Well, you probably do not need to worry about Myst anymore," a gentle yet powerful voice said from behind the navis. The navis all whirled around to face a small band of navis they did not recognize.

"Who are you, desu?" Iceman asked, rather breathless at the sight of the enchanting silver and white navi. The whole group seemed just as breatheless.

"I am Echo," the foremost navi of the rather heavily damaged grouped said.

"Who's Echo?" Gutsman asked dumbly.

"I am the leader of the Eon net," Echo said.

"Eon Net!?" the more informed navis and humans burst out.

Echo nodded. "We came here hoping to find Rockman and Lightman. We were not able to find them at the castle."

"What castle?" Blues asked.

"The Castle of the Eon Net," Mirageman said.

"Why would they be there?" Roll asked worriedly.

"They were beating the crap out of Myst," Slezz said cheerfully.

"We were worried that they had not made it out when we did not find them," Slash said.

"They were…fighting Myst again?" Blues asked.

"Again?" Slezz asked confused. Then a look of realization crossed her face. "Oh, no. I mean _the_ Myst. The big honcho, big cheese. You, know, the one calling the shots. The _leader_ of Myst, Myst." A look of concern crossed her face. "Though, we didn't see him either. We hope he's dead, but we'll have to wait to find out from the twins, I guess."

"So, let me get this straight," Laika said. "The twins have been working with you to fight Myst? And you took them to fight Myst?"

"Yes," the petite Light said. "It was foretold by Eonite legend that they would save our home. And they have." She then looked up at the dark caped navi behind her and smiled. "They helped save my brother as well."

There was a moment of silence as the conversation came to a stand still. Echo then looked down and made room for two small creatures to come through.

"Those two!?" Searchman burst out, recognizing the small virus-like creatures that had once come and transported Rockman and Lightman away from them.

Rei and Beam began to glow and transformed into their human forms, to the amazement of the non-Eonites. The pair then walked to the still, floating forms of Rockman and Lightman.

"Be careful," Echo said. "We do not want you to risk yourselves again."

"Yeah," Slezz continued. "We probably won't be able to revive you guys again if you run so low on energy."

Rei looked back and smiled kindly. "We'll be careful."

She and Beam then took the last few steps to be directly in front of the twins. They then floated up so that they were eye level with them. Carefully, they wrapped their arms around the twins, Rei embracing Rockman and Beam enveloping Lightman.

"Wha…!?" Roll began to cry out jealously, but Blues grabbed her shoulder reassuringly, causing her to keep her peace, though an upset look still remained in its place on her face.

A gentle light enveloped the four and as it did, everyone could see the eyes of the blue navis slowly open. When the light finally faded, all four floated gently to the ground, completely healed.

"ROCKMAN!" Roll leapt at Rockman and embraced him in a choking squeeze. Unprepared for the assault, Rockman fell back and he and Roll found themselves on the floor.

Still slightly phased (and not having a fanatic girl to knock the senses into him), Lightman blinked several times to gain his bearings. "Where…?" It then registered in his head that Rei and Beam were next to him. "Wah! Rei and Beam! You're alive!" Lightman said happily. "Rock and I thought you had died!"

"We almost did," Beam said.

"But Echo-sama keeps a close watch and was able to rescue us when we reached our limit," Rei finished.

"What about Myst?" Rockman asked as he struggled back up, Roll still clinging to him as if she would never let go. Everyone was pretty sure that Roll intended just that.

"We hope you deleted him," Miragman said.

Lightman scratched his head. "I…think we did…." He said. "It was all so weird… I can't really remember everything."

Rockman looked down at his hands. "We…Lightman and I…were fused together."

"You used the Cross-system with Lightman?" Blues asked.

Rockman shook his head. "No. It was something completely different…" The two looked at each other and then smiled as they suddenly realized what it had been: they had performed at the highest level full syncro and since they were now both navis, the result was a complete fusion of their bodies.

"Care to share what your thinking?" Mirageman asked, just as perplexed as the rest as to the twins rather strange behavior.

Lightman smiled playfully at him. "Not really," he said. This response earned Rockman and Lightman more perplexed looks and though everyone wanted to push the matter further, no one did.

"But how did we get here?" the elder of the blue navis asked.

"They found you here at Sci-Lab," Roll said, still hanging on Rockman's neck.

Again the twins looked at each other, this time with confused looks on their face.

"You didn't bring us here, did you?" Rockman asked those of the Eon Net.

They all shook their heads.

"They came looking for you here," Searchman said.

"After we didn't find you at the castle," Light added.

Again the twins looked at each other. "You don't think _he_ brought us back?" Rockman mumbled.

Lightman's face turned a red shade with rage. "What!? No way! That guy doesn't even have a single piece of coding of nice!"

"But who else…?"

"Well, it's not him!" Lightman said angrily, though in his mind there was an small ounce of "what if?". He still didn't know what to make of the time Forte had caused Rockman to log out, to safety, after defeating Nebula Grey.

"What are you guys yakking about this time?" Tomahawkman asked, still looking rather confused.

"It's nothing!" Lightman said with a rather angry tone. Everyone looked at the upset navi curiously. "What matters is that Myst is gone!"

Everyone smiled. "That's right," the maidens agreed, their voices in unison.

Slezz pumped her fist in the air excitedly. "We should celebrate! Party at Echo-sama's place!" Those who knew Slezz laughed.

Echo then nodded. "That is a good idea. However, our soldiers need rest so we will do it later." She looked at Rockman and Lightman's friends. "Of course, you are all invited as well. We'll inform everyone of the details later, but for now we must take our leave." She then bowed respectfully to Rockman and Lightman. "Words cannot express my gratitude for what you have done for us, but thank you."

"Of course, no problem," Lightman said.

Echo nodded and then, one by one, the residents of the Eon Net disappeared, returning home—their real home—to build it up once again.

"You know, you guys are going to have to do a lot of paper work on this one," Searchman said.

"I know, I know," Lightman said grumpily. Searchman just smiled a little bit.

Rockman took his brother's hand and smiled.

"It's okay. We'll do it together."


	37. Epilogue

The last chapter! Gah! We're done! Thanks for all of you who have read until the very end! I hope you enjoyed my first, full-length story! I had fun writing it! And reading all your wonderful reviews too! I'm so happy! XD

Disclaimer for ONE LAST TIME (at least, for this story): I do not own RockmanEXE.

* * *

_Epilogue_

Netto hummed happily to himself as he walked down the halls of Sci-Lab. In his hands he carried a couple of sandwiches, neatly wrapped in plastic wrap, one BLT and another peanut butter and jelly. All he needed now was the chips and his brother was getting the drinks. Netto turned the corner to the vending machine, silently wondering in his mind why the vending machine that dispensed sandwiches was so far away from the one that provided the chips. Maybe he should have gone to the cafeteria after all…

Netto began to look over the selection of chips when he noticed a young man wearing a Sharonian uniform sitting next the vending machine.

"You're new here, aren't you?" Netto asked friendlily. The man looked up and smiled at the young teen, an action that Netto could not help but think was a stark contrast to a certain other Sharonian soldier he knew.

"Is it so obvious?" the man asked with a slight chuckle.

Netto shook his head. "Nah, it's not obvious. I just happen to know a lot of people around here and I haven't seen you before."

"You seem to be pretty young to have to spend so much time here at such a place," the man said.

Netto shrugged. "My dad works here and I like to come here a lot," he explained. "So what are you doing here?" Netto asked.

"Training," the man said. "Though right now, I'm waiting for my superior."

There conversation stopped as they heard someone call, "Raza." The man immediately stood up to face his superior. "Laika-sama!" Raza said, coming to a salute.

Netto froze. "Laika…" Netto dared to look up down the hall and froze as he saw his friend, though he was quite a bit older now. "Oh crap!" Netto cried out. Seeing nothing else to do, he bolted back the way he came, forgetting the chips.

Raza looked at the boy and then back at his companion. He was surprised that Laika himself had frozen in place and had a startled look on his normally emotionless face. "Laika-sama?" Raza asked.

"It can't be…" Laika mumbled. "I'm not seeing things, am I, Searchman?"

"No, I saw it too," Searchman responded. "However, I have no explination."

"Sir?" Raza asked.

"Did that boy tell you his name?" Laika asked.

Raza shook his head. "No. But he said his father worked here."

"Well," Laika mused, "maybe we should ask his 'father'."

"Sir? May I ask what's going on? You seem very startled," Raza said.

Laika sighed. "I am. That boy…he looks _exactly_ like someone who died 7 years ago." Raza looked at his superior with concern, but Laika shook his head and adopted his normal stoic visage before continuing down the hall, the same one "Netto" had disappeared down just moments before.

---

"Netto-kun?"

Saito stopped as he sensed a feeling of alarm from his brother. _Netto-kun? What's wrong?_ he asked over the link.

_We're in big trouble,_ came the response. _Get back to Papa's office now! Or better yet, log into the net._

_You know the computers are down right now_, Saito responded, still confused.

_Just hide!_ Netto said.

Saito sighed. What the heck was wrong!? Netto could be so scattered brained. Regardless, Saito grabbed the second cup of beverage before turning to return to Papa's lab, as per instruction from his younger twin.

He grunted as he accidentally ran into someone, spilling the drinks.

"_Gomen!"_ Saito cried out, bowing to the person he had just ran into.

"Netto…?"

At hearing his brother's name, Saito looked up. His heart sank much like his brother's had a moment before as he saw who he had run into. This had to be why Netto was so panicked.

Saito laughed hesitantly. "Ah, no. My name is Saito." Saito bowed again as he introduced himself, hoping Enzan would fall for it.

"Nii-san!" Both Enzan and Saito looked up as Netto darted around the corner, but once he caught sight of his other former comrade, he once again froze. "What the…!? Not you too!" Netto then broke out in a full run again, grabbing Saito by the wrist, and ledding him past Enzan and down yet another hall.

"Netto…" Enzan stood there for a moment, too stunned to move. However, he quickly collected his wits and dashed after the "Nettos".

---

"Netto-kun, what's going on!?" Saito asked as he followed his brother.

"Laika and Enzan are both here!" Netto said. "And they've both seen me! We've got to hide! Dang! Of all days to do maintenance on the computers!"

Netto and Saito turned a few more corners and then dashed into their father's lab, where Yuuichiro and Meijin sat looking at the progress of the computer checks. They looked up startled as the twins came crashing in.

"Those copy-bots are not going to hold up if you abuse them," Meijin said.

Netto and Saito ignored them as they searched for a place to hide.

Meijin's eyebrow raised a bit. "What's wrong?"

"Enzan and Laika are both here," Saito explained quickly as his brother dragged him around. "And they both saw him. Enzan also saw me."

Both scientists' faces fell.

Yuuichiro quickly stood up and opened a large closet for his sons to hide in. "Here, you...". But it was too late. As Yuuichiro held the closet door open, the room to the lab opened, revealing a rather breathless Enzan. Everyone in the room froze.

"Netto…" Enzan breathed heavily, eying the twin in the identifying bandana. "How…?"

The twins looked at each other, a thousand thoughts rushing through their heads and across their link. What should they do!? Should they tell? But what would he think?

They briefly looked at their father's guidance, but they could tell that he was leaving the decision to them. They then looked back at Enzan and their faces fell even further as they saw Laika also enter the room. Both now young men looked at the twins, somehow maintaining there normal stoic faces, though Laika did slightly raise an eyebrow when he also saw Saito.

"What…is going on?" Enzan finally asked.

Netto fidgeted awkwardly, still unsure what to do. He was leaning on wanting to tell and would have already except he knew that his secret was also his brother's secret and he could not ruin that secret without Saito's consent.

Saito grabbed his brother's hand and sighed. "Its okay, Netto-kun. You can tell them. I always figured they'd find out someday anyway."

Netto smiled at his brother appreciatively and then looked back at his former comrades. It still took a moment to say anything as he collected his scattered thoughts, but Enzan and Laika were patient in waiting.

"I am Netto," he began slowly. "And…and I did die. But when I did…" This was the hard part. Would they accept the choice he had made seven years ago? But it was too late now and there was no turning back. He continued, "When I died, I made the choice to come back as a navi. So I could be with Rockman."

Not even Enzan and Laika could hide their surprise at such a seemingly impossible thing.

"You mean…" Laika began.

Netto nodded. "Yes, I'm also Lightman. Papa gave us copy-bots recently so we can appear like this. We were using them today because they are doing maintenance on the computers."

"And you're Rockman?" Laika said, turning to Saito.

Saito nodded. "My real name is Saito, Hikari Saito."

"Wait, you were once human too?" Blues asked.

Again, Saito nodded. "Yes. I'm Netto-kun's older brother. I died when we were a year and a half of the same disease that eventually killed Netto-kun."

"Why…why did you not tell us?" Enzan said.

Netto frowned, seeing that his friend was rather hurt. This had been one of his biggest worries if his friends had found out who Lightman really was: that they would be upset that he had never told them who he was.

Saito, feeling his brother's discomfort, took over. "It's complicated. Mostly, there are so many ethical issues with taking a dying human and converting them into a navi. We can't let there be _any_ chance of something like this coming out." Saito paused, debating if he should continue. "Also, I guess, there is a little fear. Something like being human sets us apart…and we, well I know at least for myself, did not want that to do anything to our relationships. Even if everyone knew and still befriended us, there would still be that separation, even if unintentionally. I don't know exactly how to explain it. I'm sorry. But I will say this…," at this point, Saito looked kindly at his brother, "I know it hurt Netto-kun _not_ to tell as well. It was harder for him to be a navi than it is for me because he, unlike myself, had already spent so much time as a human and had made those relationships." He bowed his head. "It was probably me who kept him from telling."

"Don't say that, Saito-niisan!" Netto burst out. "It's not your fault."

"Thanks, but it sort of is," Saito said, giving a small smile. "OW!" Saito rubbed his head where his younger twin had sit him just moments before.

"Stop saying that, dang it! It is what it is!" he said. "Stop blaming yourself!"

Saito simply nodded.

Laika shook his head. "This is all really complex, but I can see why you kept it a secret."

Enzan nodded in agreement with what Laika had said, but added, "But I still wish you had told us."

Netto bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

Enzan smiled. "Apology accepted. I'm just glad that you're still here."

"Ah, did you miss me?" Netto teased, quickly regaining his normal energy.

"Mostly," Enzan said. "Some parts not so much. And I swear, if you start coming up to my office again just to bug me, I'll kill you and _won't _miss you."

"Hey! I thought it was you who hated death jokes!" Netto jabbed.

"Well, you're not dying," Enzan said.

Saito shook his head and he and Laika both smiled, being reminded of the old days back when they had fought together as comrades.

"Maybe I shouldn't have been so worried," Saito said quietly to himself as he slightly bowed his head. He looked up as he felt an arm wrap around him. "Papa?"

Yuuichiro smiled. "You two always seem to make things work out," he said.

Saito nodded and laid his head against his father. They did make things always work out and now their dreams were becoming reality. He and Netto were together and now they could even enter the real world to be with their parents. They also now had close friends to share their secret with. Though it had taken a lot of pain and sorrow to get here, in the end he felt rather spoiled to have so much.

Saito yelped as he was suddenly dragged away from his father's embrace. "Sorry, Papa, but I'm taking my brother," Netto said. "Come on, Saito-niisan. Let's go show Enzan and Laika some of our new projects."

"But the computers are down!" Saito said. However, the words fell on deaf ears.

As they passed Enzan and Laika, who turned to walk after the two, Saito could here them say, "Same old Netto." Saito could not help but smile. It was true: it did not matter what form they took, they would always be the same.


End file.
